E-Paper
Mahua Moitra case more ‘serious’ than 2005 cash-for-query scam: Nishikant Dubey
In 2005, 11 members of Parliament were charged of taking bribes for posing queries in the parliament and were subsequently suspended.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and claimed that ‘cash-for-query’ allegations against her are much more serious than the 2005 cash-for-query scam case in which 11 MP were suspended.
"MPs have been suspended in the Parliament for asking questions for ₹10,000. This (Moitra's case) is a much more serious matter than that," Dubey told reporters.
When asked about Lok Sabha Ethics Committee's summon to Moitra over the case, Dubey refrained from answering saying that as per rules, it would be inappropriate to speak on the matter which is already being probed by the panel.
In the year 2005, 11 members of Parliament including Chhatarpal Singh Lodha (BJP), Anna Saheb M K Patil (BJP), Manoj Kumar (RJD), Chandra Pratap Singh (BJP), Ram Sewak Singh (Congress), Narender Kumar Kushwaha (BSP), Pradeep Gandhi (BJP), Suresh Chandel (BJP), Lal Chandra Kol (BSP), YG Mahajan (BJP), and Raja Rampal (BSP) were charged of taking bribes for posing queries in Parliament.
Subsequently, a sting operation was conducted against these MPs by the two journalists and was aired on a news channel which came to be known as cash-for-question scam. The suspended lawmakers challenged the expulsion, but it was upheld by the Supreme Court in a 2007 judgment.
The BJP MP from Godda constituency had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla claiming that the TMC MP had shared her official login credentials with Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani, took bribes from him in exchange of asking questions in Parliament about the Adani Group, and targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, Moitra has written to the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee that she will appear before it for the hearing on Thursday and has released a two-page letter to the parliamentary panel demanding to ‘cross-examine’ the alleged 'bribe giver' Darshan Hiranandani and the complainant, advocate Jai Dehadrai.
"Since the Ethics Committee deemed it fit to release my summons to the media I think it is important I too release my letter to the Committee before my "hearing" tomorrow," she said on X.
Moitra also alleged that Dehadrai had provided no evidence to back his claims either in his written complaint or in his oral hearing.
She had asked the Committee to answer in writing and place on record their decision to either allow or disallow such cross-examination.
(With inputs from agencies)
