India News | Row over Dubey's Allegations Against Moitra Escalates; BJP Leaders Attack TMC MP; Charges Based on 'jilted Ex's Lies', Says Moitra
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The row over BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's allegation that TMC's Mahua Moitra took "bribes" to ask questions in the House intensified on Monday with senior BJP leaders terming it as a "severe blow to the dignity of Parliament" and Moitra asserting that the charges were based on a "jilted ex's lies".
New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) The row over BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's allegation that TMC's Mahua Moitra took "bribes" to ask questions in the House intensified on Monday with senior BJP leaders terming it as a "severe blow to the dignity of Parliament" and Moitra asserting that the charges were based on a "jilted ex's lies".
Also on Monday, the embattled Adani Group latched on Dubey's complaint to attack Moitra, who has been at the forefront of criticising the conglomerate ever since Hindenburg alleged fraud, saying groups and individuals have been working overtime to harm its name and market standing.
Also Read | Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: Growing Number of BJP Rebels in State Worries Central Leadership.
Dubey on Sunday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accusing the Trinamool Congress MP of taking bribes for raising questions in Parliament to "protect the interest of a business group and claimed that advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai had "shared irrefutable evidence of bribes exchanged" between Moitra and Darshan Hiranandani. Dubey also wrote to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging him to investigate the IP addresses of Moitra's log-in credentials for the House.
The Hiranandani Group has said there is "no merit" in the allegations.
In her reply to Dubey's complaint to Vaishnaw, Moitra said,"all parliamentary work of MPs done by PAs, assistants, interns, large teams" and urged the minister to release details of location and login details of all MPs with Call Detail Records. "Please release info on training given to staff to login," she said but did not elaborate any further.
Moitra has sent legal notices to Dubey, Dehadrai and several media organisations for making defamatory allegations against her.
Union minister Giriraj Singh lauded Dubey as the best parliamentarian who enjoys "credibility", suggesting allegations levelled by him are credible while BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh alleged that Moitra has dealt a "severe blow to the dignity of Parliament" and called for a high-powered committee probe to ensure stringent action against the guilty.
"This is a big crime," he said.
In its first direct attack against Moitra, the Adani group while referring to Dehadrai's complaint said the sworn affidavit brought "on record the commission of an elaborate criminal conspiracy by Hon'ble MP Ms. Mahua Moitra and Mr. Darshan Hiranandani, CEO of Hiranandani Group, for specifically targeting, inter alia, Mr. Gautam Adani and his group of companies through parliamentary questions."
Slamming the Adani group over the statement, Moitra posted a series of comments on X and said,"Mr A - this lame statement your best efforts? Falling back on Fake Degree MP & a jilted ex's lies? I won't rest till the ED, CBI investigate and freeze Rs. 13,000 crore coal scam you have stolen from Indians. I'm told even Hon'ble Narendra Modi is sick of you & your frauds."
The Adani Group also said that the lawyer's complaint reveals that this arrangement to besmirch the reputation and interests of the Adani Group and its Chairman Gautam Adani has been in place since 2018.
Attacking the Adani group, Moitra said they needed to clarify three questions in their next statement.
"Where is the national interest when you used a Chinese national and a UAE national and three offshore companies to over-invoice Rs. 13,000 crores of coal?Where is the national interest in you manipulating IOCL and GAIL in Dhamra LNG contract of 46500 crores without a tender? What is your national interest in getting coal mines in Rajasthan without a tender?" she said.
"Where is the national interest in you manipulating IOCL and GAIL in Dhamra LNG contract of 46500 crores without a tender? What is your national interest in getting coal mines in Rajasthan without a tender?" she added.
Meanwhile, Union minister of state for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said if Dubey's complaint of alleged bribery is true, it was "shameful."
"I have learnt from news reports that this Parliamentary Question was likely asked by an MP at the behest of a Data center company. If true, this is indeed shocking and shameful. It is true that this company was actively and aggressively lobbying for Data Localization. Language used in PQ is very similar (linking need for data localisation to data breaches) to that used when the head of this company met me," he said.
TMC sources also dismissed the charges against Moitra, saying advocate Dehadrai, who filed the complaint against Moitra, was her former partner, and claimed that it was a personal vendetta.
They said there was an ongoing tussle between the two over their pet dog and Moitra has filed multiple police complaints against him in the last six months for alleged criminal trespass, theft, vulgar messages and abuse.
Dubey also took a dig at Moitra in a post on X, saying: "Had heard about the war of Mahabharata for Draupadi, but experiencing a political earthquake over (a dog) is happening in the country for the first time."
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)