The Lok Sabha's Ethics Committee on Wednesday, October 18, asked Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey and advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai to appear before it for "oral evidence" on October 26 in connection with his "cash for query" allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra.

"Oral evidence of Dr. Nishikant Dubey, MP, in respect of complaint dated 15 October, 2023 given by him against Smt. Mahua Moitra, MP for alleged direct involvement in cash for query in Parliament," the subject of the Lok Sabha secretariat communication to him read.

The letter sent by a secretariat official said, "I am directed to state that the Committee on Ethics has decided to hear you in the above matter, in person, on Thursday, 26 October, 2023..."

Dubey has accused Moitra of taking bribes from a businessman to ask questions on the floor of the House. Dubey has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State (MoS) Rajeev Chandrashekhar to form a probe panel and look into the charges.

On October 17, Birla directed the Ethics Committee of the Lower House to look into Dubey's complaint, which is based on a letter by a Supreme Court lawyer. The letter claims to have “irrefutable evidence of bribes” exchanged between Moitra and Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of the real-estate conglomerate Hiranandani Group.

According to a report in India Today, the lawyer claimed that 50 of the 61 questions the TMC MP asked in the Lower House recently centred on the Adani Group, a rival conglomerate of the Hiranandani Group, adding these queries were raised in return for cash.

In the past few years, the lawyer claimed, Mahua Moitra has vehemently criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, adding she often referenced the Adani Group, to create an impression of being “critical of the government”. This, according to the lawyer, was possibly a ploy to cover against her “clandestine criinal operation”.

Besides the allegations, the lawyer has also targeted Mahua Moitra and her fellow TMC parliamentarians for being the “shouting brigade” of their party.

The BJP MP, meanwhile, labelled the charges as a "deja vu of the 2005 ‘Cash for Query' Scam."

Responding to the allegations, Moitra said, “I welcome any move against me after the Lok Sabha Speaker has dealt with pending charges against him (Dubey).”

On October 15, Mahua Moitra, in a sarcastic tweet, said that she was using all her ill-gotten cash and gifts “to buy a college/university in which Degree Dubey can finally buy a real degree”.

“Please Om Birla finish the enquiries against him for false affidavits and then set up my enquiry committee,” she concluded.

Am using all my ill gotten cash & gifts to buy a college/ university in which Degree Dubey can finally buy a real degree.

Please @ombirlakota @loksabhaspeaker finish the enquiries against him for false affidavits & then set up my enquiry committee.— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 15, 2023

The Hiranandani group also refuted the allegations of bribery. “These allegations have no merit. We have always been in the business of business and not in the business of politics. Our group has always worked with the government in the interest of the nation and will continue doing so,” said an official spokesperson of the Hiranandani group, Moneycontrol reported.

The Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha, chaired by the BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, will now probe the allegations levelled against the Trinamool leader.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)

First Published:Oct 17, 2023 4:52 PM IST