Trinamool Congress member in the Lok Sabha, Mahua Moitra, who is facing an inquiry into allegations of cash-for-query, has been asked to appear before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on November 2, but the panel ruled out any further extension.
Earlier, the committee had asked her to appear before it on October 31, but she expressed her inability to do so, citing prior engagements. Ms. Moitra, in a letter, had said that she was looking forward to depose and the committee could choose any date after November 5.
On Saturday, the committee, headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, told her that that it would not entertain any further request for extension for any reason whatsoever “keeping in view the seriousness of the matter, having implications on the dignity of Parliament as well as its Members”.
The ethics panel is probing BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s allegations that Ms. Moitra accepted bribes and favours for asking questions in the Lok Sabha at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani.
On Thursday, Mr. Dubey and another complainant, advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, appeared before the committee and gave “oral” evidence against the Trinamool member.
Ms. Moitra has denied the allegations of any “quid pro quo” but in a media interview admitted to sharing her password and login ID for the parliamentary portal with Mr. Hiranandani.
On Friday, in a letter to the Chairman of the panel, Ms. Moitra had not only asked for “a fair hearing against the false, malicious and defamatory accusations levelled by Shri Dubey and Shri Dehadrai” but also a chance to cross-examine Mr. Hiranandani.
“I wish to place on record that any enquiry without the oral evidence of Shri Hiranandani will be incomplete, unfair and akin to holding a proverbial ‘kangaroo court’ and that he too will need to be called to depose before the Committee before it prepares its final report,” she had said.
While Ms. Moitra’s party, the Trinamool, has distanced itself from the controversy, Congress leaders have come out in her support.
“I am not getting into the issue of corruption. That is a separate matter. But as a public representation, if I get any information, it is incumbent upon me to raise it for the people,” Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told The Hindu.
“The issue is whether the questions she asked are valid or not. There is no need to go for source of of those questions. As a colleague, I support her,” Mr. Chowdhury added.
Supporting Ms. Moitra’s demand for cross-examination of her businessman friend, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha, in a post on X, said, “Parliamentarian @MahuaMoitra is entitled in law to quiz Dubai based business man Darshan Hiranandani, if Ethics Committee is using his affidavit statement ag[ainst] her or else will be travesty of law & natural justice”.
