Cash for query row has gone to a new level of controversy. TMC MP Mahua Moitra has issued a detailed response to the signed affidavit by businessman Darshan Hiranandani that BJP legislator Nishikant Dubey’s claims about her receiving money and gifts for posing certain questions in Parliament Darshan is the son of property tycoon Niranjan Hiranandani and holds a key position in his father’s real estate empire. He is involved in real estate projects in cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Hyderabad. In the affidavit, Hiranandani spoke about his friendship with TMC MP Mahua Moitra. TMC MP Mahua Moitra came into controversy in the ‘cash for query’ case.
The affidavit by businessman Darshan Hiranandani, which is circulated in the media, is written on white paper without any notarization. A prominent businessman like Darshan Hiranandani would not just sign such an important statement on plain white paper without potential external pressure. The affidavit by businessman Darshan Hiranandani claimed to have admitted asking questions about the Adani Group through the official parliamentary credentials of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra.
Earlier, lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai claimed to possess “irrefutable evidence” of alleged “bribes” exchanged between Moitra and Hiranandani to secure parliamentary queries. Hiranandani’s admission potentially strengthens the case against Moitra. In a sworn affidavit, he revealed using Moitra to raise questions concerning Gautam Adani after the Indian Oil Corporation reserved capacity at Adani’s Dhamra LNG import facility in Odisha. Hiranandani’s firm sought IOC to book capacity at their own proposed facility.
A copy of Hiranandani’s affidavit surfaced in media reports on Thursday, in which he claimed that Moitra had shared her parliamentary sign-in credentials with him and he asked those questions related to the Adani Group. He also claimed that Moitra also sought luxury goods and money for travel and renovation at her house from him. The very strategic way Darshan had made all the allegations against Moitra Before this, he never made any mention of such demands by Moitra or addressed the media. The question here to explore is why Darshan Hiranandani is all of a sudden in the blame game. He and his father are very close to the PM and PMO. Why did they not inform the top authorities about the MP and her demands? What was stopping them? Has anyone threatened Darshan and his father to do so? Darshan Hiranandani has not been summoned by the CBI, the Ethics Committee, or indeed by any investigative agency yet. Who, then, has he given this affidavit to?
Hirandani is in real estate, which depends on government licenses. And Darshan is in energy, data centers, and semiconductor chip manufacturing, which too depends on government licenses. He has over 30,000 crore of investments in UP alone. They were told they would be finished; the CBI would raid them, all government business would stop and all PSU bank financing would be stopped immediately, as per Moitra in the statement. Moitra further said that this is the usual modus operandi of the “BJP government or rather Gautam Adani’s government run by the BJP,” and that she would not be silenced and her questions would continue. Meanwhile, Moitra also termed her estranged partner Jai Dehadrai, whom the BJP’s Dubey mentioned in his complaint, a “jilted ex”.
“Three days ago (16.10.2023), the Hiranandani Group put out an official press release stating that all charges leveled against them were baseless. Today, October 19, 2023, an “approver affidavit “has been leaked to the press. Whatever Hirandani’s announces, the fact is that they have yet to address the media. Why would such a wealthy, successful businessman who enjoys direct access to every minister and the PMO be coerced by a first-time opposition MP into giving her gifts and giving into her demands?
BJP’s Nishikant Dubey has requested an inquiry committee to investigate these allegations, contending that most of Moitra’s recent questions served Hiranandani’s business interests. Moitra denied the charges, suggesting she was targeted for exposing alleged favouritism towards the Adani group.
