"Answered All Questions": Lawyer On Ethics Panel Appearance In Mahua Moitra Case

Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey recorded their statements before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, which held its first meeting on the Mahua Moitra cash-for-query allegations on Thursday.

After recording his statement, Mr Dehadrai said everything was cordial and he had answered all the questions that were posed to him.  

"Everything was very cordial, they were very pleasant. Some questions were put to me and I have answered those questions. That's all it was," Mr Dehadrai told news agency PTI.

When he was asked about the allegations levelled against him by the Trinamool Congress MP, and the names she has been calling him, the lawyer said, "I have no comment at all. I cannot control what somebody else says. I can only place the facts as I know them. She is free to say what she likes."

Ms Moitra has previously called Mr Dehadrai her "jilted ex".

Sources told NDTV that the lawyer placed all the evidence he had against Ms Moitra before the Ethics Committee. They said he came out of the room after recording the statement and was called in again so that questions could be asked of him. 

Asked about this and whether there was a dispute that led to him being called in again, he said there was nothing of the sort.

Sources said most of the questions posed to Mr Dehadrai were from Congress leaders V Vaithilingam and N Uttam Kumar Reddy of the Congress, PR Natarajan of the CPIM and Kunwar Danish Ali of the Bahujan Samaj party. The leaders were reportedly trying to ascertain that the lawyer was not taking some kind of personal revenge, and Mr Ali and a few other MPs also told him that there would be consequences if the charges were found to be false.

'MPs Are Worried'

After the meeting, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey - who had filed the complaint that led to the Ethics Committee probe - said while he couldn't reveal the questions that were asked, he could say that all the MPs are worried. 

Asked about reports of there being differences within the members of the committee, Mr Dubey told news agency ANI,  "I did not see anything of this kind. I will come again whenever the committee calls me."

On allegations of vendetta politics, he asserted, "No no. The question is whether the dignity and propriety of the parliament will remain. This is about respecting the parliament. And the ethics committee is more worried about this than I am."

Sources said that some members of the committee asked Mr Dubey whether he had made the allegations against Ms Moitra because of a personal reason. The MP told the committee that he had been given a clean chit by a court on this issue. 

'Have Approached MHA'

Speaking to NDTV, the head of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee and BJP leader Vijay Sonkar said the panel had summoned Mr Dehadrai and Mr Dubey and paid attention to what they had to say. 

"Keeping in mind the seriousness of the allegations, Ms Mahua Moitra has been asked to appear before the committee and place her version of events on October 31. We have approached the Income Tax Department and the Ministry of Home Affairs and sought information for further investigation," he said. 

Sources said most members of the committee agreed that the charges against the Trinamool MP were serious and decided to give a report to the Lok Sabha Speaker "as early as possible".

In a letter addressed to Mr Dubey, Mr Dehadrai had claimed to share "irrefutable evidence" of businessman Darshan Hiranandani giving bribes to Ms Moitra to ask questions in Parliament. The questions were allegedly designed to target the Adani Group.

In an affidavit, Mr Hiranandani had alleged that the Trinamool MP had shared her email ID as a Member of Parliament so that he could send her information and she could raise the questions in the Parliament.

Ms Moitra has denied all the allegations.

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