New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai on Thursday appeared before the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha to record their statements in connection with the cash-for-query allegations against Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra. The Committee has asked Ms Moitra to appear before it on October 31 to record her statement.
The Head of the Ethics Committee, BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, said they will also seek assistance from the ministries of home affairs and information technology in probing the allegations against Ms Moitra.
The committee heard from both Mr Dubey and Mr Dehadrai today. The evidence they presented was looked into. Looking into the seriousness of the allegation, the Committee decided to summon Ms Moitra, asking her to appear before it on October 31. Secondly, the Committee also decided to send letters to the IT ministry and MHA for details about the conversation between Mr (Darshan) Hiranandani, Ms Moitra and the lawyer (Mr Dehadrai)," Mr Sonkar said.
On Thursday, the panel recorded the statements of Mr Dehadrai and Mr Dubey in connection with the matter. Mr Dubey cited documents shared by Mr Dehadrai to back his cash-for-query allegations against Ms Moitra. The BJP MP said that it was an "open and shut" case and Ms Moitra should be disqualified.
The panel's meeting began with sharp differences among the 10 members present, excluding the chairperson, on who should they hear first -- the complainant or the accused -- forcing a vote to resolve the matter.
The Opposition members cited the recent case involving BSP MP Danish Ali and BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri to note that another parliamentary panel had called the ruling party member, accused of making derogatory comments in Parliament, first, whereas the Ethics Committee was recording the statement of Mr Dubey, the complaint, in its first meeting.
The vote ended in a tie as the members -- five of the ruling BJP and five of the Opposition parties -- voted on partisan lines, with the chair casting his deciding vote in favour of hearing Mr Dubey first as scheduled.
Mr Dehadrai was the first to record his statement before the Ethics Committee, while Mr Dubey appeared before the panel in the afternoon. "I have told the truth before the Committee. All members of the Committee enquired from me cordially. I answered all that was asked of me," Mr Dehadrai said after appearing before the Ethics Committee.
"They were normal questions... All I can say is that all the MPs are concerned. When they call me next, I will come...The question is whether the propriety and dignity of Parliament will hold. It is a question of the dignity of Parliament. The Ethics Committee is more worried than me," Mr Dubey said.
When pointed out by the media that Ms Moitra has refuted all the allegations levelled against her, the BJP MP asserted that he has documents to prove his claims against the TMC MP.
On Thursday, while West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the BJP-led Central government over the EDs action against the Opposition leaders, she remained silent on her party MP from Krishnanagar in Nadia, Ms Moitra, who has been summoned by the parliamentary ethics committee for appearance.
Sources said the Parliament Ethics Committee felt that the charges against Ms Moitra were grave and that the committee will “consider them seriously”.
In the letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla dated October 15, Mr Dubey said that Mr Dehadrai, close to Ms Moitra before they fell out, has shared "irrefutable evidence of bribes exchanged" between her and businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Dubey alleged that 50 of the 61 questions Ms Moitra asked in the Lok Sabha until recently were focused on the Adani Group.
Mr Hiranandani, who initially rejected the allegations, later, in a signed affidavit, said he paid Ms Moitra to raise questions in Parliament and the TMC leader targeted Gautam Adani to "malign and embarrass" Mr Modi, whose impeccable reputation gave the Opposition no opportunity to attack him.
Ms Moitra has dismissed the charges as "jilted ex's lies", a reference to Mr Dehadrai,and accused the Adani Group of being behind them to target her, as she has been relentless in raising questions about the conglomerate's practices and transactions. She also rejected Mr Hiranandani’s affidavit.
