The case against Mahua Moitra took an interesting turn when the outspoken Trinamool Congress MP admitted to sharing her Parliament login ID with Hiranandani, a businessman who had filed an affidavit supporting the allegations made by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and advocate Jay Anant Dehadrai, in interviews with certain media outlets.
The two had alleged that the TMC MP had questioned the Adani Group at the request of its rival Hiranandani and had done so in exchange for favours from the latter company. According to sources, TMC, which had remained silent on the issue, seemed to be endorsing her by labelling the parliamentary investigation as "politically motivated." While admitting that she shared her Lok Sabha ID with Hiranandani, Moitra also accepted that she had taken gifts like scarves from the businessman, but denied having taken cash.
However, according to Dubey, Moitra's denial that she accepted money from Hiranandani does not lessen the gravity of the allegations made against her. He sent a copy of the contract that Members of Parliament sign with the National Informatics Centre, a government organisation that manages websites for the House of Commons and other institutions. The contract makes it very clear that exchanging login credentials with third parties would be considered a violation of national security and is not permitted.
Dubey continued his attack on Moitra saying that the country wanted to know how an MP sold herself out. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha’s ethics committee has agreed to Moitra’s request to reschedule her deposition in the “cash-for-query” scam, but has made it clear that no further requests for postponement will be accepted.