"Sold Country's Security For A Few Bucks?" BJP MP's Jab At Mahua Moitra

In a strong claim against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, who is facing a Lok Sabha Ethics Committee investigation on the cash-for-query allegations, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has said that she violated an agreement every Member of Parliament has with the National Informatics Centre by allegedly sharing the e-mail ID and password with businessman Darshan Hiranandani. 

The BJP MP also wondered whether Ms Moitra had read the agreement or had sold the country's security for a few bucks. 

Mr Dubey had sent the complaint to the Lok Sabha Speaker alleging that Ms Moitra "took bribes to ask questions" in parliament on behalf of businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His complaint was referred to the Ethics Committee.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, Mr Dubey wrote in Hindi, "When any MP gets the Parliament mail ID or member portal, we make an agreement with NIC, the very first point of which is that this mail ID and password will be kept confidential and will not be shared with anyone. I signed this agreement after thinking carefully. Did the degree holder study or not or did she sell the country's security for a few bucks?"

Ms Moitra has, in the past, alleged that Mr Dubey holds fake degrees.

The Ethics Committee has written to the Union Information Technology Ministry and the Ministry for Home Affairs for details of the Trinamool MP's logins and locations to verify allegations that she allowed Mr Hiranandani to access her parliamentary login.

Earlier in the day, the Trinamool MP posted a letter on X stating that she will not appear before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on October 31 because she has prior commitments. 

Ms Moitra also pointed out that few details were available on the gifts Mr Hiranandani had allegedly given her and said she should be allowed to cross-examine him. 

"His affidavit, available in the public domain, is extremely scant on detail and provides no actual inventory of what he has allegedly given me. Given the seriousness of the allegations and in keeping with the principles of natural justice, it is imperative that I am allowed to exercise my right to cross-examine Shri Hiranandani," she said.

In an affidavit, Mr Hiranandani had claimed that Ms Moitra had given him her parliament login ID to frame questions on the Adani Group, which she felt was the "only way" to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also claimed that she had made demands for "various favours" and he had gifted her expensive luxury items. 

After the first hearing on Thursday, sources had told NDTV that the Ethics Committee had agreed that the allegations against Ms Moitra were "very serious".

The Trinamool MP has denied the allegations. 

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