Mahua Moitra seeks fresh dates from Ethics panel, says summon Hiranandani too

Trinamool Congress lawmaker Mahua Moitra on Friday asked the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha chairperson to reschedule her appearance before.

The committee, saying she was “eagerly” looking forward to presenting her defence against the “slanderous charges” levelled at her but she could not travel to Delhi on October 31.

In a letter to the committee chairperson Vinod Kumar Sonkar, Moitra said she was tied up with engagements related to Vijaya Dashami in her constituency till November 4 and requested a fresh date to appear before the panel.

“Therefore, I request to be given time to appear in person before the committee at any date and time of the committee’s choice after 5th November 2023,” she said in the letter. Moitra released the letter on X, formerly Twitter, noting that the chairperson announced her October 31 summons on live television “way before official letter (was) emailed to me at 19:20 hrs.”

In the two-page letter, Moitra recalled that she had in her October 23 letter “expressed my eagerness” to be given “a fair hearing and adequate opportunity to defend myself against the false and malicious allegations levelled against her.

“The committee – against the order of natural justice, if I may humbly add – summoned and heard the complainants Shri Dubai and Shri Dehadrai on 26/10/2023 before allowing me, the alleged accused, a chance to be heard,” she said.

“I eagerly look forward to physically attending and presenting my defence against the slanderous charges levelled against me at the next date provided by you”.

The TMC MP underlined that she should be allowed to exercise her right to cross-examine Darshan Hiranandani of the real-estate conglomerate Hiranandani Group, who previously accused her of allegedly taking gifts and favours from him.

Moitra said he should also appear before the ethics panel.

“It is also imperative that he appear before the committee and provide a detailed verified list of alleged gifts and favours he allegedly provided to me. I wish to place on record that any enquiry without the oral evidence of Shri Hiranandani will be incomplete, unfair and akin to holding a proverbial “kangaroo court” and that he too will need to be called to depose before the Committee before it prepares its final report,” she said.

The MP underscored that she had an “impeccable record of personal integrity and honesty” as an MLA and an MP and said that it was vital “for the fabric of Indian democracy” that she be allowed to defend herself and clear her name.

The row began after Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on the basis of a complaint by lawyer Jai Anant Dehradai, who alleged Moitra accepted money and favours to ask questions in Parliament.

In an affidavit, Darshan Hiranandani said that he gave Moitra information on the basis of which she could pose questions attacking the Adani Group; that she received information from others too on this; 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”.

Moitra has denied the allegations, saying that Hiranandani was pressured into signing the letter and that efforts were being made to malign her and scare those close to her.