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Nishikant Dubey, BJP leader from Jharkhand has allegedly said that TMC leader Mahua Moitra has taken ‘bribes’ from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in order to “ask questions” in Parliament. He has demanded her “immediate suspension” as her line of questioning has targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah by referencing the Adani group, which in turn has given the impression that “she was critical of the Government, possibly with the intention of seeking cover against her clandestine criminal operation”.
He has asked Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to launch a probe into the matter by setting up an inquiry committee for the same. Mr. Dubey has also alleged that he has received “irrefutable evidence” from an advocate Jai Anand Dedadrai which will support his claims as he told Mr. Birla that Ms. Moitra has been directly involved in a scam that has led to a “breach of privilege, contempt of the house” and “a criminal offense” under the IPC Section 120A.
Mr. Dubey has also said that 50 out of the 61 questions asked by Ms. Moitra have been at the behest of Mr. Hiranandani. The latter had lost an energy and infra contract to the Adani group recently. Ms. Moitra has been questioning the Adani group and has accused them of malpractices, from 2019 to 2023, alleges Dubey. Mr. Dubey’s allegation references one of the scandalous media exposes of 2005 where many MPs asked questions in Parliament in exchange for bribes.
Nishikant Dubey’s allegations: How has Mahua Moitra responded?
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has denied all allegations and welcomed any such inquiry as she goes on to say that first a ‘probe’ should be launched into Mr. Dubey’s educational qualifications and then only it should proceed to the allegations levied against her.
She also has responded on X saying that she is using all her “ill-gotten cash & gifts to buy a college/university in which Degree Dubey can finally buy a real degree.”
Ms. Moitra has also urged the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (EA) to also look into the matter of investigating Adani’s offshore money trails as the Adani group “may use BJP agencies to browbeat competition and buy airports”. Both the MPs are known for their fiery exchange of arguments, often hitting with belligerent blows over the past couple of years.
Mahua Moitra is known for her fierce ability to ask questions from the ruling government, with much precision and confidence. For example, amidst the debates on the women’s reservation bill, Moitra’s lines of reasoning questioned the ambiguity that surrounds the date of implementation of the bill, much like the date of the next census which was supposed to be conducted in 2021 along with the date of the delimitation exercise.
What did Darshan Hiranandani say?
Mr. Hiranandani has also refuted any such claims by Mr. Dubey by saying that they have no merit. The Hiranandani group has also said that they are in the “business of business and not in the business of politics” and that their interests have always aligned with those of the government and nations. A spokesperson of the Adani group has also said that many individuals and groups are working together in order to negatively impact their “goodwill and market standing”.
Darshan Hiranandani is the CEO of Hiranandani Group, a real estate and infrastructure company, and is known for his ability to take the business to an international level, diversifying it into many sectors like industrial warehousing, cloud computing, etc. Hiranandani’s ambitious projects like Hiranandani Gardens in Mumbai have established his name further which in turn allowed the CEO to establish connections with political parties like BJP. The scandal has led to the emergence of many questions about the intersecting spaces between the business world and the political world and the possible points of friction or friendships it can lead to.
