New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday appeared for her depostion before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee in connection with the alleged ‘Cash for Query’ charge against her.
The committee led by BJP MP Vinod Sonkar and comprising MPs V Vaithilingam, Danish Ali, Sunita Duggal, Aparajita Sarangi, Parneet Kaur, Swami Sumedhanand and Rajdeep Roy began their deposition at the committee room this morning.
Earlier on November 2, Mahua Moitra had in a letter to the ethics panel requested for a summons date after November 5 citing pre-scheduled Vijaya Dashmi programmes.
The panel, however, asked her to appear before it today. Moitra is facing ‘Cash for Query’ charges made by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey, who alleged that the Trinamool MP had taken bribes from Dubai-based businessman Hiranandani to raise questions in Parliament to target the Adani Group.
Dubey also wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, titled “Re-emergence of nasty ‘Cash for Query’ in Parliament”, seeking a probe into the matter.
He also claimed that Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai had provided him with proof of alleged bribes.
The BJP MP and Supreme Court advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, the complainant in case had appeared before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on October 26 to provide oral evidence of their allegations.
On Wednesday, Moitra made public her letter to the Ethics Committee chairman and BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar.
Posting a two-page letter on her X handle, Moitra said, “Since the Ethics Committee deemed it fit to release my summons to the media I think it is important I too release my letter to the Committee before my hearing.”
In her letter, Moitra alleged that advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai had provided no documentary evidence to back his allegations in either his written complaint and neither could he provide any evidence in his oral hearing.
“In keeping with the principles of natural justice I wish to exercise my right to cross-examine Dehadrai,” she wrote in her letter to the Committee.
“In light of the seriousness of the allegations, it is imperative that the alleged ‘bribe-giver’ Darshan Hiranandani, who has given a ‘Suo-Motu’ affidavit to the Committee with scant details and no documentary evidence whatsoever, be called to depose before the Committee and provide the said evidence in the form of a documented itemised inventory with amounts, date etc” she further wrote.
“I wish to place on record that in keeping with the principles of natural justice I wish to exercise my right to cross-examine Hiranandani,” Moitra added.
The Trinamool MP had asked the Ethics Committee to answer in writing and place on record their decision to either allow or disallow such cross-examination.
Moitra also raised concerns over the ‘double-standards’ of the Ethics Committee and highlighted that the panel was adopting a different approach in the case of BJP MP Ramesh Biduri, who she says has a very serious complaint of hate speech.