Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday referred Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey’s bribe for question complaint against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra to the ethics committee of the lower house, reported PTI.
In a letter to Birla on Sunday, Dubey sought to have Moitra immediately suspended for allegedly taking bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament.
The BJP MP accused Moitra of a breach of parliamentary privilege, contempt of the House and criminal conspiracy.
Nearly 50 of the 61 questions asked by Moitra were meant to “seek information with the intent of protecting or perpetuating business interests” of Hiranandani, Dubey alleged in his letter
“The questions were also often focused on the Adani Group, another business conglomerate, Hiranandani Group was bidding for business against,” the BJP MP wrote.
Dubey also cited a letter from an advocate named Jai Anand Dehadrai, who he claimed had shared “irrefutable evidence” about Moitra asking questions in Parliament in exchange for cash and gifts.
Dehadrai, Moitra’s former partner, has claimed that she had given access to her online Lok Sabha account to Hiranandani, reported Bar and Bench. He alleged that the businessman misused this access to post Parliamentary questions that would benefit him.
Based on these allegations, Dubey had also written to Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging him to investigate the IP addresses of Moitra’s login credentials for the Lok Sabha.
Moitra on Monday dismissed the allegations and sent defamation notices to Dubey and Dehadrai.
The notice to the BJP MP mentioned that over the years, the Trinamool Congress leader has had arguments with Dubey on various issues, reported Bar and Bench. Moitra claimed that she “rattled” Dubey in March by questioning the authenticity of his educational qualifications and disclosures in his election nomination papers.
In the notice to Dehadrai, Moitra claimed that after their falling out he had sent her several “vile, malicious and vulgar” messages and also trespassed into her official government home. Moitra also accused the advocate of stealing her possessions, including her pet dog, which he later returned, reported Bar and Bench.
Moitra also sent notices to 18 media and social media platforms that had reported the news, according to The Wire.
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