Cash-for-query row: Ethics panel asks Moitra to appear before it on Nov 2, rules out any more extension

Sources said the committee also asserted that no further extension would be granted to her for any reason whatsoever “keeping in view the seriousness of the matter, having implications on the dignity of Parliament as well as its Members”.

In her letter to committee chairman Vinod Kumar Sonkar, Moitra had cited her engagements in her Parliamentary constituency Krishnanagar till November 5 and also urged the panel to call Hiranandani Group CEO Darshan Hiranandani for deposition and allow her to cross-examine him.

The House panel is probing BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s allegations that Moitra accepted bribes and favours for asking questions in the Lok Sabha at the behest of businessman Hiranandani.

In an affidavit to the Ethics Committee on October 19, Hiranandani claimed that Moitra provided him her Parliament login ID and password so that he could “post questions” directly “on her behalf when required”.

The Lok Sabha secretariat told Moitra on Saturday, “Chairperson, Committee on Ethics has acceded to your request for extension of date for appearing before the Committee on Ethics, i.e., rescheduling the sitting of the Committee. It has, accordingly, been decided to hear you in the above matter, in person, on 2 November…”

The TMC MP on Saturday said the BJP’s “cash-for-questions” allegation against her had “failed” as there was no evidence to back it. In a post on X, Moitra said: “First BJP said ‘Cash for Questions’. That failed since NO evidence to back fake allegation. Now it is ‘National Security’.” “Real? Not of Q&A portal that 10 people in each MP team access daily — it is how dodgy FPI owned Adani gets MHA clearance to buy our ports and airports!”

Moitra’s post came a day after Dubey said in a post on X that sharing the parliamentary login details with anyone is a violation of the agreement with the government body (NIC) managing the portal and is a security risk.

(With PTI inputs)