Mahua Moitra, a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), provided an exclusive explanation to India Today regarding her decision to share her Parliament login ID and password with her friend, businessman Darshan Hiranandani.
She clarified that she granted Darshan Hiranandani access to her Parliament account with the intention of having someone in his office assist in typing out the questions that she intended to pose in the Lok Sabha.
According to Moitra, an individual in Darshan Hiranandani's office would input the questions she provided into the Parliament website on her behalf. After submitting the question, they would notify her, at which point she would review all the questions in one go. Given her busy schedule in her constituency, this collaborative approach allowed her to manage her parliamentary duties more effectively. Moitra explained that the process involved an additional layer of security, requiring an OTP (one-time password) sent to her mobile phone for final question submission. Therefore, the idea that Darshan would access her ID to independently submit questions was, in her words, "ludicrous."
Moitra's response came in response to Darshan Hiranandani's "sworn affidavit" asserting that she had given him her Parliament login credentials for the purpose of posting questions on her behalf.
Addressing allegations from BJP leader Nishikant Dubey, Moitra emphasized that the "cash-for-query" issue had been debunked, and the situation was now being portrayed as a matter of national security. She questioned Mr. Dubey's assertion, pointing out that the NIC (National Informatics Centre) login rules do not explicitly dictate who can access one's login.
Moitra challenged the BJP's claim that she had given her Parliament login to a foreign entity, emphasizing that Darshan was her friend and held an Indian passport. Additionally, she noted that she herself had logged in from Switzerland. In light of these considerations, she questioned why there were no IP address restrictions on accessing the NIC question and answer system if it was considered highly secure.
