“Wish To Cross Examine…”: Mahua Moitra Releases Letter To Panel Day Before Hearing

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has demanded businessman Darshan Hiranandani should also be cross-examined in the cash-for-query matter being heard by the Lok Sabha’s ethics committee.

Mr Hiranandani has said Ms Moitra took questions from him to ask in parliament, and also admitted he used Ms Moitra’s parliamentary login ID and password to post questions from Dubai – a situation, if proved, will mean a breach of privilege and lead to her suspension from parliament.

In a post on X today, Ms Moitra said the parliamentary ethics committee may not be the “appropriate forum to examine allegations of alleged criminality”.

“I wish to respectfully remind you that parliamentary committees do not have criminal jurisdiction and have no mandate to investigate alleged criminality. This can only be done by law enforcement agencies. This check was specifically created by our nation’s founders to prevent the slightest misuse of committees by governments enjoying a brute majority in parliament,” Ms Moitra said in a letter to the ethics committee chairperson Vinod Kumar Sonkar.

Jai Anant Dehadrai, on whose complaint to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the entire case rests, was cross-examined by the ethics committee on October 26, while BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who led the call to investigate the allegation that Ms Moitra gave her parliament login ID to the businessman, was allowed to explain his allegations.