Mahua Moitra
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra recently addressed allegations surrounding gifts she received from Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of the Hiranandani Group. She acknowledged receiving a scarf, lipsticks, and makeup items, including eye shadow, as gifts from Hiranandani. However, she denied any involvement in taking bribes from him. Moitra admitted to allowing Hiranandani to use her Lok Sabha login credentials to post questions that she claimed were hers.
The Ethics committee of the parliament has summoned Moitra to present her defense on October 31, but she has requested more time due to prior commitments in her constituency, Krishnanagar. Many committee members consider the charges against her serious and potentially a breach of parliamentary privilege. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai have already submitted their statements and evidence against Moitra.
Moitra defended sharing her login credentials with Hiranandani by stating that she did this with others as she worked from a remote constituency. She claimed that the NIC (National Informatics Centre) overseeing government and parliamentary websites had no specific rules against this. However, Mr. Dubey countered this by posting NIC rules that require keeping credentials private and confidential.
Mr. Dubey also called for an investigation into alleged attempts to influence Hiranandani and Moitra’s possible communication with him. Hiranandani is an approver in this case, supporting the charges raised by both Mr. Dubey and Mr. Dehadrai with his signed affidavit.
Moitra clarified that the gifts she received from Hiranandani, a close personal friend, included a birthday scarf, lipsticks, and makeup products from Bobbi Brown, purchased at Dubai’s duty-free store. She also consulted him for architectural changes to her house, but she asserted that the expenses for renovation were covered by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), a government body. She further explained that she occasionally used Hiranandani’s car when in Mumbai.
Moitra challenged Hiranandani to come forward with any other gifts he may have given her and emphasized the importance of evidence in allegations. She noted that the affidavit does not mention a cash amount of ₹2 crore, requesting specific details and documentary evidence if such allegations are made.
