‘Cash-for-query’ claims against Mahua Moitra: Ethics panel to consider draft report tomorrow

When asked if the committee will call Hiranandani and allow Moitra to cross-examine him, Sonkar told The Indian Express, “Let the committee meet on November 7. Let’s see what happens…what the mandate of the committee is.” Hirandani had in a sworn affidavit to the panel claimed Moitra provided him her Parliament login and password so that he could “post the questions” directly “on her behalf when required”.

Claiming that BJP was planning criminal cases against her, Moitra in a post on X said, “Shaking in my skin to know BJP (is) planning criminal cases against me. Welcome them – only know that CBI and ED need to file FIR against Adani for Rs 13,0000 crore coal scam before they question how many pairs of shoes I have.”

Reiterating her charges against Sonkar that the questions put before her at the last committee meeting on November 2 were “undignified”, Moitra, in another post on X, said, “Also BJP – before you push out women MPs with fake narrative remember I have EXACT transcript of record in Ethics Committee verbatim. Chairman’s cheap sordid irrelevant questions, Opposition’s protests, my protests – all there in official black and white.”

Given that the meeting has been called to consider and adopt the draft report means the panel has finished its enquiry. Since the opposition members in the panel had backed Moitra and walked out with her from the panel’s meeting last week, there is a possibility some of them will submit dissent notes.

In one of her letters to Chairman Sonkar, Moitra had said, “It is imperative that I am allowed to exercise my right to cross-examine Shri Hiranandani. I wish to place on record that any enquiry without the oral evidence of Shri Hiranandani will be incomplete, unfair and akin to holding a proverbial ‘kangaroo court’ and that he too will need to be called to depose before the Committee before it prepares its final report.”

The last meeting of the committee on November 2 witnessed stormy scenes after Moitra, who had appeared before the panel to give oral evidence, walked out with Opposition members, accusing chairman Sonkar of putting “undignified questions” before her. She had alleged that what transpired at the meeting was an “orchestrated cheer-haran (disrobing) designed to humiliate” her. She had also written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging she was subjected to the “proverbial vastraharan” (disrobing) by Sonkar in the presence of all members of the committee.

Sonkar had denied the charges saying the questions he asked were related to allegations against her. “All questions were regarding the charges made against her by (businessman Darshan) Hiranandani and the allegations made against her by the complainant,” he had said.