TMC MP Mouhua Moitra gave Lok Sabha login ID to businessman for personal gains, alleges BJP MP Nishikant Dubey
New Delhi: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has communicated to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his junior minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar to investigate allegations of 'bribe for question’ involving Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra.
In a letter addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Dubey highlighted receiving 'indisputable' evidence from a Supreme Court lawyer regarding alleged bribery between Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani.
He compared the incident to the 2005 'Cash for Query' scandal and urged the Speaker to establish a probe panel to examine the claims.
I hv learnt from news reports that this Parliamentary Question was likely asked by a MP at the behest of a Data center company.
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) October 16, 2023
If true this is indeed shocking and shameful 🤮🤬
It is true that this company was actively and aggressively lobbying for Data Localization.… pic.twitter.com/slrtrNLNSy
Referring to the charges, Dubey, in his letter to the IT Minister, requested an inquiry into whether Mahua Moitra granted access to her Lok Sabha website login credentials to Hiranandani and his real-estate conglomerate Hiranandani Group, enabling them to exploit it for personal gain.
Calling it "possibly the most damning and grave of all the charges" being made against her, Dubey said that if the claims are found to be true, it "constitutes a serious criminal breach of trust as well as a violation of India's national security".
The BJP MP has sought a probe to find out the IP address of all login IDs used to access Lok Sabha account of Moitra and to learn if it at any time it was used from a place, she was not present.
"In addition, I request that you determine whether there are any instances in which her Lok Sabha account was accessed at a location in which she was not present," Dubey wrote in the letter.
Describing Moitra's behaviour "immoral, unlawful, and detrimental to the nation's security", Dubey urged the IT Ministry to consider the allegations against her with "utmost seriousness".
In response, the Trinamool MP came down heavily at Dubey, asking the IT Ministry to make public the login credentials of all MPs. Taking to X, she wrote, "All parliamentary work of MPs done by PAs, assistants, interns, large teams. Respected Ashwini Vaishnaw, please release details of the location and login details of ALL MPs with CDRs. Please release info on training given to staff to login."
All parliamentary work of MPs done by PAs, assistants, interns, large teams. Respected @ashwinivaishnaw please release details of location & login details of ALL MPs with CDRs . Please release info on training given to staff to login. pic.twitter.com/1Mz61LBjw3
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 16, 2023
She also took a swipe at the Adani Group. "If the Adani group is relying on dodgy dossier created by dubious Sanghis & circulated by fake degree wallahs to either shut me up or bring me down I would advise them not to waste their time. Use your lawyers wisely," the Trinamool MP tweeted.
If Adani group is relying on dodgy dossier created by dubious Sanghis & circulated by fake degree wallahs to either shut me up or bring me down I would advise them not to waste their time.
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 15, 2023
Use your lawyers wisely.
An Adani Group spokesperson in a statement said on Monday that the bribe accusations against Moitra validate their October 9, 2023 statement.
"The development corroborates our statement on 9 October, 2023 that some groups and individuals have been working overtime to harm our name, goodwill and market standing. In this particular case, a lawyer's complaint reveals that this arrangement to besmirch the reputation and interests of the Adani Group and our chairman Gautam Adani has been in place since 2018," the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the Hiranandani Group has refuted the charges, saying that the conglomerate has always worked with the government in the interest of the nation and will continue doing so.