‘Parl ID used in Dubai’: Nishikant Dubey moves Lokpal against Mahua Moitra

New Delhi: BJP lawmaker from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, who lodged the first cash-for-query complaint against Trinamool Congress’s Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra, said on Saturday that he has filed a similar complaint with the Lokpal—a body to probe corruption cases against public servants including legislators. He also brought a fresh charge that the Trinamool MP’s parliamentary ID was opened in Dubai and that was tantamount to “mortgaging” of national security.

With complaints piling up against her, Moitra claimed on Saturday that she rejected a “deal” to keep quiet for the next six months even as she “invited” the CBI to raid her home but reminded the probe agency to file an FIR into the alleged over-invoicing of coal shipments, as reported by FT.

Moitra’s claim came two days after Darshan Hiranandani, the businessman named by Dubey in the cash-for-query charge against the Trinamool MP, admitted that he gifted her “expensive luxury items” and underwrote the “renovation of her official” bungalow; and that she provided him with her Parliament login and password so that he could “post the questions directly on her behalf”.

“I am tired of hearing CBI, CBI”, Dubey posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Filed a complaint with Lokpal today. Only Lokpal looks after the corruption of MPs and Ministers, CBI is its medium.” Dubey’s move to approach the Lokpal came days after Jai Anant Dehadrai, who was Moitra’s friend, filed a formal complaint with the federal probe agency.

Dubey, who lodged a complaint against Moitra to the Speaker last week, claimed that country’s security was “mortgaged” as Moitra’s parliament ID was opened in Dubai.

Hiranandani, who had been named by Dubey, resides in Dubai.

“An MP mortgaged the country’s security for some money. Parliament’s IDs were opened from Dubai. At that time the MP was in India. The entire Indian government, the Prime Minister of the country, the Finance Department, and the central agencies are on this NIC; and the opposition has to do politics. The decision is of the public. NIC gave this information to the investigating agency,” he wrote on X without using Moitra’s name.

The Trinamool MP tweeted that she invites the CBI to her home. “Also got message about impending CBI raid. I am busy with Durga Puja. I invite CBI to come home & count my pairs of shoes. But first please file FIR into ₹13,000 crore coal money Adani stole from Indians,” she said in another post.

At the same time, Moitra fired a fresh salvo at “Mr. Adani”: “Sorry Mr. Adani. I am not taking your deal to shut up for six months in return for “peace”. And nor am I taking the second deal where I am allowed to attack you but not the PM,” wrote Moitra, five days before the ethics panel starts its probe.

Moitra also hit out at Dubey, who she accused of forging his MBA degree. “Request NIC to please release ALL details of MPs publicly to show they were physically present in place from where IDs were accessed by their PAs & researchers/interns/staff. Don’t use Fake Degree wala for leak, make this public NOW,” she tweeted.

Meanwhile, Dehadrai lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police to secure the custody of his pet dog Henry, and said he was receiving threats.

On Saturday, Dehadrai sent a letter to the Delhi Police commissioner, saying that he was anticipating a “very serious threat” to his life, because of the complaint that he filed on October 14 against the TMC MP. Dehdarai has also requested the police chief to provide adequate security for him, officials aware of the matter said.

Referring to the letter, a senior Delhi Police officer said that Dehadrai had anticipated an attack on his life from the TMC MP and her associates. Claiming that their antecedents were “extremely dangerous” and “dubious”, he said he was writing the letter to the Delhi Police commissioner under extremely distressing circumstances as a direct attempt was made on Thursday to coerce him into withdrawing his complaint and threats of harming his reputation were made if he did not agree, said a police officer, asking not to be named.

The Adani Group had accused FT of “recycling baseless allegations against the Adani Group on 12 Oct 2023, just a day before the hearing of an Adani-related case in the Hon’ble Supreme Court.” In a recent statement, the conglomerate said, “We also pointed out that one tactic in their playbook includes putting out media reports with “an uncanny ability to appear just before the hearing dates of important cases in India’s courts.”

On October 16, the Adani Group termed Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai’s complaint to the CBI against Moitra and Hiranandani as a “shocking development” and said the development “corroborates our statement of 9 Oct 2023 that some groups and individuals have been working overtime to harm our name, goodwill and market standing. In this particular case, the lawyer’s complaint reveals that this arrangement to besmirch the reputation and interests of the Adani Group and our chairman Mr Gautam Adani has been in place since 2018.” There was no fresh statement from the Adani Group on Saturday.

Hiranandani, in his two-page affidavit, virtually corroborated the key allegations that Dubey had mentioned in his letter to the Speaker, which led to the ethics panel initiating a probe. Shifting the onus on Moitra, Hiranandani said, “…she thought the only way to attack Sh. Modi is by attacking Sh. Gautam Adani and his group as both were contemporaries and they belong to the same state of Gujarat. She was helped by the fact that the rise of Sh. Gautam Adani had created jealousy and detractors among some sections of businesses, politics and media, both within and outside the country.”

While he admitted, at least twice, that he sent her information, he added that Moitra “received unverified details from several sources, including some claiming to be former Adani Group employees”. This information was shared with him, he added, and he “continued to draft and post questions using her parliamentary login whenever needed”.