Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, has directed the investigation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey's complaint, pertaining to accusations associated with the 'bribe for questions' controversy involving Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, to the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha.
The Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha, presided over by BJP member Vinod Kumar Sonkar, will be responsible for overseeing this matter.
Nishikant Dubey, a BJP Member of Parliament, has sought an inquiry into the allegations raised against Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra, accusing her of accepting inducements in exchange for posing questions in Parliament. In pursuit of this inquiry, Dubey addressed a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, in addition to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his Minister of State (MoS) Rajeev Chandrashekhar. In his correspondence, he called for the establishment of a panel to ascertain the veracity of the accusations against Mahua Moitra.
Nishikant Dubey's plea stems from a missive he received from a Supreme Court lawyer, in which "irrefutable evidence of bribes" exchanged between Mahua Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of the real-estate conglomerate Hiranandani Group, was delineated. The BJP MP contends that these allegations bear a striking resemblance to the 'Cash for Query Scandal' that transpired in December 2005.
The crux of the allegations revolves around the assertion that out of the 61 questions that Mahua Moitra raised in Parliament until recently, 50 were posed with the intention of advancing the business interests of Darshan Hiranandani and his corporate entity.
Notably, TMC MP Mahua Moitra has vehemently refuted all allegations. In response to Nishikant Dubey's letter to Om Birla, she used social media to deliver a retort, humorously stating, "Am using all my ill-gotten cash and gifts to buy a college/university in which Degree Dubey can finally buy a real degree. Please, Om Birla, finish the inquiries against him for false affidavits and then set up my inquiry committee."
Meanwhile, the Hiranandani Group has categorically rejected the allegations. A spokesperson for the conglomerate emphasized their commitment to working with the government in the national interest and pledged to continue doing so.
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