New Delhi: The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee has taken a significant step by summoning BJP Member of Parliament (MP) Nishikant Dubey and advocate Jai Anand Dehadrai for a hearing scheduled on October 26. The hearing is in response to the "cash for query" allegations made by Dubey against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. This development comes just one day after Dubey filed a complaint against Moitra, which was subsequently referred to the ethics committee for further investigation.
Nishikant Dubey has made sensational allegations, accusing Mahua Moitra of accepting bribes in exchange for posing specific questions in Parliament. According to Dubey, these questions were intended to target both the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a formal letter addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Dubey not only accused Moitra of a breach of parliamentary privilege but also leveled charges of contempt of the House and criminal conspiracy against her.
In his correspondence with the Speaker, Dubey claimed to have received a letter from advocate Jai Anand Dehadrai, in which Dehadrai provided "irrefutable evidence of bribes" purportedly exchanged between Mahua Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani. These alleged financial transactions were related to the questions Moitra posed in Parliament, as per Dubey's accusations.
In response to these grave allegations, Mahua Moitra has categorically denied any wrongdoing and expressed her willingness to cooperate fully with any inquiry into the matter.
The Hiranandani Group, the business entity at the center of these allegations, has vehemently rejected the claims as well. A spokesperson for the group stated, "We have always been in the business of business and not in the business of politics. Our group has always worked with the government in the interest of the nation and will continue doing so."
Nishikant Dubey has insinuated that Moitra's questions in Parliament were strategically aimed at perpetuating the interests of the Hiranandani Group, which had lost energy and infrastructure contracts to the Adani Group. This conflict of interest has added another layer of complexity to the allegations.
The Adani Group, the target of the alleged queries, has responded to the situation by suggesting that certain groups and individuals have been actively working to harm their "name, goodwill, and market standing." They further claimed that the effort to tarnish the group's reputation has been in place since 2018. An Adani Group spokesperson issued a statement condemning the actions and expressing concerns over the potential impact on their interests and image.
