The Lok Sabha’s ethics committee, on a recent Saturday, declined Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s plea to schedule her appearance post-November 5. Instead, they granted a two-day extension, summoning her for ‘oral testimony’ on November 2 regarding the allegations levied against her.
A day earlier, Moitra had penned a letter to the committee, which is conducting an investigation into the accusations against her, expressing her inability to attend as originally planned on October 31, stipulating her availability only after November 5.
The Lok Sabha secretariat officially informed her on the subsequent Saturday, stating, ‘The Chairperson of the Committee on Ethics has approved your request for an extension of the appearance date before the Committee on Ethics, necessitating the rescheduling of the Committee’s session. Consequently, it has been resolved to hear your testimony on November 2 in the above-mentioned matter, in person…’
The committee’s focus lies on the cash-for-query complaint lodged against the fiery TMC leader by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who has cited ‘indisputable evidence’ put forth by advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, who was once closely associated with Moitra.
On a Thursday prior, Dubey and Dehadrai presented their ‘oral testimony’ to the panel against her.
Moitra has voiced her demand for ‘an equitable hearing and a sufficient opportunity to counter the false, malevolent, and defamatory allegations brought against me by Shri Dubey and Shri Dehadrai.’
She has dismissed the charges against her, albeit confessing, during media interviews, to sharing her parliamentary portal login credentials with Darshan Hiranandani to assist in drafting questions on her behalf, citing their longstanding friendship as the reason.
However, she vehemently asserted that there was no ulterior motive behind this act, refuting any quid pro quo.
Dubey has argued that the sharing of login details with anyone constitutes a breach of the agreement with the government body (NIC) overseeing the portal and poses a security risk.
In her letter to the committee, issued that Friday, she stated, ‘I wish to emphasize that any inquiry without the oral testimony of Shri Hiranandani would be incomplete, unjust, and akin to a proverbial ‘kangaroo court.’ Thus, he, too, must be summoned to provide his testimony before the Committee finalizes its report.’
Leave a Reply