"Filthy Questions": Mahua Moitra Walks Out Of Meet, Panel Chief Responds

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and Opposition MPs walked out of the parliamentary ethics committee meeting on the cash-for-query matter, questioning the way the meeting was conducted. The committee, however, shot back saying she did not cooperate and left in order to avoid answering more questions.

The ethics committee chairperson Vinod Sonkar said Ms Moitra did not cooperate during her cross-examination and walked out in order to avoid facing questions. "Mahua Moitra did not cooperate with the committee and the investigation. The Opposition members also made allegations in anger and suddenly walked out of the meeting to avoid answering more questions," Mr Sonkar said. "Objectionable words were used against the panel's functioning and me."

Another panel member, Aparajita Sarangi, said Ms Moitra "behaved in an angry, arrogant manner when asked about Darshan Hiranandani's affidavit."

The Opposition MPs alleged the committee asked "personal and unethical questions" to Ms Moitra, and one of the MPs leaked details of the meeting to the media while it was going on.

"What kind of meeting was this? They are asking all kinds of filthy questions," Ms Moitra, visibly upset, told reporters as she and the Opposition MPs stormed out of the room. "They are picking on anything. Talking any rubbish. 'You have tears in your eyes', they said. Do I have tears in my eyes, you see tears?" Ms Moitra said as she put her hands on her cheeks.

Another Opposition MP said "it was too much" when a reporter asked why they left the meeting.

Earlier, in her statement to the committee, Ms Moitra said a "sour personal relationship" motivated the filing of the complaint over alleged cash-for-query against her. The flare-up apparently happened during her cross-examination after lunch. Ms Moitra has called Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, who filed the complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), her "jilted ex".

A large part of her deposition before the committee was about her relationship with Mr Dehadrai as she appeared to blame him for leaks and the allegations, sources said.

BJP MP VD Sharma told her to respond to the substantive part of the allegations and not make it all about personal relationship going bad.

Though Ms Moitra has refuted the cash-for-query allegations, she admitted to giving her parliamentary login ID to businessman Darshan Hiranandani.

The ethics committee summoned her on the basis of reports received from three ministries along with documents and evidences. The BJP had raised national security concerns over the sharing of her official login credentials.

Sources said the committee asked Ms Moitra about the nature of her ties with Mr Hiranandani in order to fully understand the extent of damage caused due to sharing the parliamentary login ID with the businessman.

Many of the questions Ms Moitra asked in parliament pertain to sectors in which Mr Hiranandani's companies have interests, which is why the committee sought to know whether national security has been compromised, sources said.

After the Supreme Court lawyer who Ms Moitra called her "jilted ex" filed the complaint with the CBI, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had led the call to investigate the allegation that Ms Moitra gave her parliament login ID to Mr Hiranandani to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ethics committee hearing has been buttressed by the explosive affidavit of Mr Hiranandani, who, while remaining silent on the cash-for-query issue, has admitted to posting questions on Ms Moitra's parliamentary login. If proved, this would comprise breach of parliamentary privilege and enough to get her expelled from the house.

His gifts to Ms Moitra, he wrote in the affidavit, was by way of meeting the demands of the Trinamool MP, who wanted to politically target PM Modi through the Adani Group.

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