Fiery Q&A session over Mahua Moitra's cash-for-query row

The MPs asked a host of questions to Jai Anant Dehadrai and there was an elaborate question answer session over the allegations. The ethics committee report was placed in Parliament today.

New Delhi:The report of the Ethics Committee of Parliament was tabled in Parliament today. During interrogation, many MPs asked tough questions to lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai. ETV Bharat's Rakesh Tripathi elaborates on what happened at the meeting.

Everything has become clear in the 481-page report of the Ethics Committee. There was a huge uproar when it was asked in which hotel Mohua Moitra stayed in Dubai and who paid the expenses there. MPs Kunwar Danish Ali, Mohua Moitra and Uttam Reddy objected to this question.

In response Mohua said, "You can not ask me who bought your bikini. Please put it on record. When you say Holidays, you can not ask me who bought your sanitary napkins".

The matter went out of control when Mohua was told whether she can get her mobile details since 2019. Mohua protested against this calling the chairman ‘shameless’ and ‘ridiculous’. The chairman warned Mahua for her statements but the latter walked out with other MPs.

At the beginning in the Ethics Committee meeting, Congress MP from Nalgonda Uttam Kumar Reddy, tried to corner lawyer Jai Anant. When he told that Jai Anant Dehadrai did not have any evidence that Mohua took any cash or kind from any industrialist in exchange for asking questions, Jai Anant Dehadrai replied that in his complaint given to CBI, in paragraphs 6, 7 and 8 it is clearly written that he heard Mohua talking to businessman Hiranandani. Since earpiece of the phone was faulty, all conversations took place in speaker mode so he had also listened, Jai Anant Dehadrai said.

Jai Anant Dehadrait further said that he had also seen another MP planning with Mohua about disposing the money sent by Hiranandani from Dubai through hawala. This MP kept all the money with himself, he added.

Being angry at Jai Anant Dehadrai's statement, MP Uttam Kumar said that Jai Anant Dehadrai is very levelling serious allegations and that too after taking oath before the Ethics Committee. If there is no evidence to prove the allegations then we should take action against them as well, Uttam Kumar said. He also asked Jai Anant Dehadrai as to why he didn't tell anything when Mohua had filed a report against him for forcibly entering his house.

On this, Jai Anant Dehadrai told that Mohua had actually bullied him and forced him to return his pet dog Henry. Controversy started when Mohua threatened Jai Anant Dehadrai to take back the dog, he said

MP Kunwar Danish Ali said, "This is a fight over the dog and an FIR has been registered on this. A pet dog fight came to the Ethics Committee. I feel embarrassed even talking about this issue."

The chairman of the committee then asked Danish if the complaint was true, then why did Mohua ask police to take action and why were cops stopped from taking action. Uttam Kumar responded saying it is a mockery and the chairman was trying to defend Jai Anant Dehadrai.

MP Girdhari Yadav asked Jai Anant Dehadrai whether he went to US, England, Udaipur and Agra with Mohua to which, Jai Anant Dehadrai nodded in response. BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi asked Jai Anant Dehadrai whether he ever stopped Mohua. Jai Anant Dehadrai told that he had stopped Mohua on many occasions but every time she said it is not a big deal. "It can be seen that the matter is not just about an affair or the custody of a dog but it is a matter of national security. The privilege of the MP has been violated. The second thing is that there has been contempt of House and thirdly, this is a crime under section 120 of the IPC," the Sarangi said.

CPM MP P R Natarajan also wanted to know why Jai Anant Dehadrai had nominated only Nishikant Dubey out of 543 MPs. To which, Jai Anant Dehadrai said he is not aware about any such case.

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