BJP MP says Mahua Moitra took ‘bribes’ to ask questions in House
Moitra said she “welcomes any move against her after the Lok Sabha Speaker is finished dealing with pending charges against him (Dubey)”.
New Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Nishikant Dubey on Sunday accused Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra of “taking bribes” from a businessman to ask questions in Parliament and urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to constitute an “inquiry committee” to examine the charges against her.
In response, Moitra said she “welcomes any move against her after the Lok Sabha Speaker is finished dealing with pending charges against him (Dubey)”.
The two parliamentarians have often engaged in verbal tussles. On an earlier occasion, Moitra submitted documents to claim Dubey forged his degree in his election affidavit.
Birla has not gone through the content of Dubey’s letter till Sunday afternoon, the Lok Sabha secretariat said.
In the letter, Dubey cited documents from an advocate and claimed those are “irrefutable” evidence of bribes exchanged between the Trinamool Congress leader and a businessman.
“There is not an iota of doubt about a criminal conspiracy hatched by Mahua Moitra to garner and protect the business interests of a businessman – Shri Darshan Hiranandani – by asking Parliamentary Questions, which is reminiscent of ‘Cash for Query’ episode of 12 December, 2005,” the BJP MP said.
Hitting back, Moitra said on X (formerly Twitter), “Am using all my ill-gotten cash & gifts to buy a college/ university in which Degree Dubey can finally buy a real degree.” The Trinamool MP also urged Birla to “Finish the enquiries against him for false affidavits & then set up my enquiry committee.”
In his letter to Birla, Dubey said 50 of 61 questions of Moitra were focused on the Adani Group, the business conglomerate which the TMC MP has often accused of malfeasance, more so after it was at the receiving end of a critical report of short-selling from Hindenburg that led to a market rout of group stocks. Adani has denied wrongdoing.
“Multiple breach of privileges pending against fake degreewala & other BJP luminaries. Welcome any motions against me right after Speaker finishes dealing with those. Also waiting for ED & others to file FIR in Adani coal scam before coming to my doorstep,” Moitra posted on X.
In his letter to Birla, Dubey alleged that Moitra’s conduct marks the re-emergence of “cash for query”, a reference to the 2005 media expose of many MPs asking questions in Parliament in exchange for bribes.
(With agency inputs)
