Mahua rejects Businessman\'s claims: Ready for CBI, Parliamentary Panel probe

Kolkata: Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Friday offered her willingness to face a probe by CBI and parliamentary ethics committee in the 'cash for query' controversy that has left her party stumped. She however blamed BJP of carrying an "agenda to expel her" from the Lok Sabha to silence her criticism of industrialist Gautam Adani.

As TMC maintains silence on the controversy, Ms Moitra posted on X in the morning, "I welcome answering questions to CBI & Ethics Committee (which has absolute majority of BJP members) if & when they call me. I have neither time nor interest to feed a Adani-directed media circus trial or answer BJP trolls. I am enjoying Durga Puja in Nadia. Shubho Sashthi."

In the afternoon she however pointed out, "Chairman Ethics Committee openly speaks to media. Please see Lok Sabha rules below. How does “affidavit” find its way to media? Chairman should first do enquiry into how this was leaked. I repeat - BJP 1 point agenda is to expel me from LS to shut me up on Adani."

On Thursday the Krishnanagar parliamentarian from Nadia in West Bengal questioned the authenticity of businessman Darshan Hiranandani's affidavit containing high voltage allegations against her to the parliamentary panel.

Mr Hiranandani stated in his affidavit, "Ms. Moitra drafted a few questions that would have elements to embarrass the Government by targeting the Adani group; questions that she could raise in Parliament. She shared with me her email ID as Member of Parliament, so that I could send her information, and she could raise the questions in the Parliament. I went along with her proposal."

He added, "She was delighted at the response she received from the first set of questions that I had sent her relating to the Adani group…She therefore requested me to keep supporting her in her attacks on the Adani group and provided me her Parliament login and password so that I could post the questions directly on her behalf…"

In a counter attack, the TMC MP alleged, "Darshan Hiranandani has not been summoned by the CBI or the Ethics committee or indeed by any investigative agency yet. Who then has he given this affidavit to? The affidavit is on white paper and not on official letterhead or notarised. Why would one of India's most respected/ educated businessman sign a letter like this on white paper unless a gun was put to his head to do it? The contents of the letter are a joke. It has clearly been drafted by some half-wit in the PMO who doubles up as a creative writer in the BJP's IT cell."