Day before ethics panel meet, Opp member requests postponement
A day before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee meets again to consider and finalise a draft report on cash-for-query allegations against All India Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said on Wednesday that the Lokpal had forwarded his complaint against Moitra to the CBI for investigation.
“They (Lokpal) informed me that they have referred the complaint to the CBI, which is the Lokpal’s investigating agency,” Dubey said. He posted on X that the “Lokpal initiated a CBI inquiry” based on his complaint against Moitra. However, there was no official confirmation from the anti-corruption body on the probe order.
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The development comes on a day Congress’s Nalgonda MP and a member of the ethics committee, Uttam Kumar Reddy, wrote to the chairman of the panel, Vinod Sonkar of the BJPto postpone the November 9 meeting as he has to file his nomination in Telangana on the same date. “I had received a communication that the Ethics committee meeting on Smt Mahua Moitra issue for consideration/adoption of report would be held on 07th November. Suddenly and inexplicably the date is changed to 09th November. As I am filing nomination for Telangana Assembly elections on 09th November, I request you to kindly postpone the meeting to any other date,” Reddy said in the letter.
The Ethics Committee has been inquiring Dubey’s complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker against Moitra that she “had taken favours from businessman Darshan Hiranandani and compromised her Parliament login ID and password to post questions against business rival and billionaire Gautam Adani”. Hiranandani had accepted the allegations in an affidavit submitted to the ethics panel.
Reacting to Dubey’s claims, Moitra posted on X: “For media calling me — my answer: 1. CBI needs to first file FIR on ₹13,000 crore Adani coal scam. 2. National security issue is how dodgy FPI owned (inc Chinese & UAE ) Adani firms buying Indian ports & airports with @HMOIndia clearance. Then CBI welcome to come, count my shoes.”
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In another post, she said, “Very happy to know Modiji’s Lok Pal exists — & been spurred into action by specially bred pit bulls. Also Godi Media — why not ask Lok Pal’s office to release statement on referral. Bit humiliating for LP office to outsource such important announcements to canine farms, eh?”
“Lokpal is still alive,” she added.
Moitra, who was summoned by the Ethics Committee on November 2, had stormed out of the meeting with other Opposition members, accusing chairman Sonkar of asking objectionable questions, a charge he later rejected.
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First published on: 08-11-2023 at 17:11 IST
