Indus Valley Times

NEW DELHI,OCTO 16 : BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has written to Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his junior minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar, seeking an investigation into allegations linked to ‘bribe for questions’ charge against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra.

On Sunday, Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, saying that he had received a letter from a Supreme Court lawyer who shared “irrefutable” evidence of bribes allegedly exchanged between Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani. Saying that the incident was reminiscent of the 2005 ‘Cash for Query’ scandal., the BJP MP urged the Speaker to form a probe panel to look into the charges.

Citing the allegations, Nishikant Dubey, in his letter to the IT Minister, sought a probe into whether Mahua Moitra had given access to her login credentials for the Lok Sabha website to Hiranandani and his real-estate conglomerate Hiranandani Group, so they could “utilise it for their own personal gain”.

Calling it “possibly the most damning and grave of all the charges” being made against her, Dubey said that if the claims are found to be true, it “constitutes a serious criminal breach of trust as well as a violation of India’s national security”.

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Further, the BJP MP asked for an investigation to ascertain the IP address of all login credentials of Moitra’s Lok Sabha account and to determine if there were any instances where it was accessed at a location where she was not present. “In addition, I request that you determine whether there are any instances in which her Lok Sabha account was accessed at a location in which she was not present,” Dubey wrote in the letter.

Calling Moitra’s behaviour “immoral, unlawful, and detrimental to the nation’s security”, Dubey urged the IT Ministry to treat the allegations against her with “utmost seriousness”.

The Trinamool MP, meanwhile, has hit back at Dubey, urging the IT Ministry to release the login details of all MPs. Taking to X, she wrote, “All parliamentary work of MPs done by PAs, assistants, interns, large teams. Respected Ashwini Vaishnaw, please release details of location and login details of ALL MPs with CDRs. Please release info on training given to staff to login.”

On Sunday, Nishikant Dubey, in his letter to the speaker, said that the Supreme Court lawyer had concluded that 50 of 61 questions the Trinamool MP had asked in Lok Sabha until recently sought information “with the intent of protecting or perpetuating business interests” of Darshan Hiranandani and his business group. The BJP leader claimed the “questions were also often focused on the Adani Group”, a rival business conglomerate.

He claimed that the questions were asked in return for cash and gifts.

Hitting back at the BJP MP on ‘X’, Mahua Moitra said, “Am using all my ill gotten cash & gifts to buy a college/university in which Degree Dubey can finally buy a real degree.”

She also took a swipe at the Adani Group. “If Adani group is relying on dodgy dossier created by dubious Sanghis & circulated by fake degree wallahs to either shut me up or bring me down I would advise them not to waste their time. Use your lawyers wisely,” the Trinamool MP tweeted.

A spokesperson for the Adani Group issued a statement on Monday, saying that the bribe allegations against Moitra corroborates their earlier statement on October 9, 2023. “The development corroborates our statement on 9 October, 2023 that some groups and individuals have been working overtime to harm our name, goodwill and market standing. In this particular case, a lawyer’s complaint reveals that this arrangement to besmirch the reputation and interests of the Adani Group and our chairman Gautam Adani has been in place since 2018,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the Hiranandani Group dismissed the allegations, with its spokesperson saying that the conglomerate has always worked with the government in the interest of the nation and will continue doing so.

-PTI