Ethics panel meet today on Mahua bribery case

The Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha is set to convene its first meeting today to address the “cash for query” accusation, involving TMC MP Mahua Moitra.

The complainant, BJP parliamentarian Nishikant Dubey, along with advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, are scheduled to provide their statements.

Dubey, who filed the complaint with Speaker Om Birla, included documents provided by Dehadrai as evidence. Birla, in turn, has directed the matter to the committee under the leadership of BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar.

Dubey said the advocate, once close to Moitra before having a fallout, has shared “irrefutable evidence of bribes exchanged” between her and businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Oral Evidence of Shri Jai Anant Dehadrai, Advocate in respect of complaint dated 15 October, 2023 given by Dr. Nishikant Dubey, MP against Smt. Mahua Moitra, MP for alleged direct involvement in cash for query in Parliament. Oral evidence of Dr. Nishikant Dubey, MP, in respect of complaint dated 15 October, 2023 given by him against Smt. Mahua Moitra, MP for alleged direct involvement in cash for query in Parliament,” the panel’s schedule for Thursday said.

The fiery TMC member has dismissed the charges as a “jilted ex’s lies”, a reference to Dehadrai, accused the Adani Group of behind them to target her as she has been relentless in raising questions of the conglomerate’s practices and transactions.

In his letter to the Speaker, Dubey said 50 of 61 questions she asked in Lok Sabha till recently were focused on the Adani Group.

In a signed affidavit, Hiranandani, the CEO of real estate-to-energy eponymous group who allegedly paid her to raise questions in Parliament, has admitted that the TMC leader targeted Gautam Adani to “malign and embarrass” Modi whose impeccable reputation gave opposition no opportunity to attack him.