Mahua Moitra, Carrying 3 Handbags, Appears Before Ethics Panel: 10 Points

Mahua Moitra is appearing before the parliament ethics panel

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra gave her statement to the parliament ethics committee in the cash-for-query case. The panel will cross-examine her after lunch. Ms Moitra admitted she shared her official login with businessman Darshan Hiranandani.

Here are top 10 points on this big story:

Mahua Moitra is being questioned on basis of reports received by the ethics committee from three Union ministries along with other documents and evidences, sources have said.
The reports from Home, Information Technology and External Affairs ministries are with the committee. The panel had sought information from the three ministries after a meeting held on October 26.
Among other things, the committee had asked whether IP addresses of her logins and her locations were the same.
The allegations against the Trinamool Congress MP gained momentum with an explosive affidavit filed by Mr Hiranandani.
While remaining silent on the bribery allegations, the businessman 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.
Ms Moitra – who has been accused of conspiracy along with "serious breach of privilege" and "contempt of the house" - yesterday said the ethics committee may not be the "appropriate forum to examine allegations of alleged criminality", because it lacks the power to examine such allegations.
In the letter to the committee which she posted on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Moitra said she should be allowed to cross-examine Mr Hiranandani.
The Ethics Committee hearing is a fallout of a complaint by the BJP's Nishikant Dubey who alleged that Ms Moitra has accepted cash from Mr Hiranandani to ask questions in parliament on his behalf to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and business rival Adani Group. In a letter to Speaker Om Birla, he demanded her immediate suspension from parliament.
In his affidavit, Mr Hiranandani said he had given the gifts Ms Moitra demanded to stay in her good books and get her help to expand his business in Opposition-ruled states. The MP, he said, wanted to politically target PM Modi through the Adani Group. Ms Moitra has alleged the Prime Minister's Office "held a proverbial gun" to his head and made him sign the "white paper".
Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, on whose complaint to the Central Bureau of Investigation the entire case rests, was cross-examined by the Ethics Committee on October 26. The Committee has also heard Mr Dubey and is expected to give its report to the Speaker as soon as possible.