'Cash for query' row: Darshan Hiranandani's BIG claims against Mahua Moitra

Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani, are involved in a cash-for-query dispute that took a dramatic turn on Thursday. The CEO of the Hiranandani Group asserted in a signed affidavit submitted to the Lok Sabha’s Ethics Committee that Moitra gave him her Parliament login and password so he could “post the questions” directly “on her behalf when necessary.” The letter was described as “a joke” by Moitra, who added that Hiranandani was “forced to sign it.” She alleged that the letter’s draft had been sent by the Prime Minister’s Office. Notably, Hiranandani’s statement comes ahead of the hearing today in the defamation case filed by the TMC MP, representing Krishnanagar in West Bengal, against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey who accused her of accepting “bribes” from the businessman to ask questions in Parliament. Let’s take a closer look. Big claims by Darshan Hiranandani Dubai-resident Darshan Hiranandani claimed Moitra “wanted to quickly make a name for herself at the national level” in a three-page affidavit that was presented to the committee on Thursday and made available to the media by the Hiranandani Group corporate communication team. Her friends and advisers told her that personally criticising Prime Minister Modi is the fastest way to fame, as per NDTV. “She thought that the only way to attack Sh. Modi (PM Narendra Modi) is by attacking Sh. Gautam Adani and his group as both were contemporaries, and they belong to the same state of Gujarat,” it added. Hiranandani continued, “Moitra drafted a few questions that would have elements to embarrass the Government by targeting the Adani group; questions that she could raise in Parliament. She shared with me her email ID as Member of Parliament, so that I could send her information, and she could raise the questions in the Parliament. I went along with her proposal.” “She… requested me to keep supporting her in her attacks on the Adani group and provided me her Parliament login and password so that I could post the questions directly on her behalf when required,” he stated in the affidavit. In his affidavit, according to Indian Express, Hiranandani also claimed that Moitra was “getting help from other people like Sucheta Dalal… who were feeding her with all kinds of unverified information relating to Sh. Gautam Adani and his companies." In response to Hiranandani’s affidavit, MoneyLife Managing Editor Dalal said on X, “…the very fact that he (Darshan Hiranandani) has named me makes this whole letter and his ‘solemn’ statements a farce… I don’t know @MahuaMoitra – and I think she can confirm it. The question of helping her simply does not arise, NOR did she EVER reach out and ask me for any help either!”

Dear @bhupendrachaube -- the very fact that he has named me makes this whole letter and his 'solemn' statements a farce -- I don't know @MahuaMoitra - and I think she can confirm it. The question of helping her simply does not arise, NOR did she EVER reach out and ask for any… https://t.co/YEsXTTFLNt

— Sucheta Dalal (@suchetadalal) October 19, 2023

According to the affidavit, she also frequently communicated with foreign reporters from the Financial Times, the New York Times, the BBC, as well as from a number of Indian media. It added, “She also received unverified details from several sources, including some claiming to be former Adani group employees. Certain information was shared with me, based on which I continued to post questions using her Parliamentary login." As per the statement the TMC MP bonded extremely well with other opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, and Pinaki Mishra, so Hiranandani thought that through her, he would gain support in other States controlled by the opposition. The businessman stated that Moitra frequently demanded things from him and constantly requesting different favours, which he claimed he “had to fulfil in order to remain in close proximity with her and get her support.” “The demands that were made and favours that were asked included, gifting her expensive luxury items, providing support on renovation of her officially allotted bungalow in Delhi, travel expenses, holidays, etc, apart from providing secretarial and logistical help for her travels within India and to different parts of the world. I could ill-afford to displease her,” he stated in the affidavit. “Many a times, I felt that she was taking undue advantage of me and pressurising me to do things I didn’t want to, but I had no choice, because of the aforementioned reasons,” he said. “PMO held a proverbial gun” to Darshan’s head In a two-page press release late at night, Moitra, who called Hiranandani “a dear friend”, alleged that the Prime Minister’s Office forced him to sign a white paper that “was leaked to the media.” “Why would such a wealthy successful businessman (Hirnandani) who enjoys direct access to every Minister and the PMO be coerced by a first-time Opposition MP into giving her gifts and giving to her demands? It is totally illogical and only cements the truth that this letter was drafted by the PMO and not Darshan,” In her letter, Moitra refuted allegations that she had taken “cash and gifts” from the businessman.

Jai Ma Durga. pic.twitter.com/Z2JsqOARCR

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 19, 2023

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Moitra alleged that the “PMO held a proverbial gun” to the businessman and his father’s “heads and gave them 20 minutes to sign the letter sent to them”. She added, “They were threatened with a total shutdown of all their businesses… They were told they will be finished, the CBI would raid them and all government businesses would stop and all PSU bank financing would be stopped immediately.” She mentioned that on 16 October, the Hiranandani Group issued an official statement claiming that all accusations made against them were “baseless.” “Today, an ‘approver affidavit’ has been leaked to the press… This affidavit is on a white piece of paper with no letterhead…,” she highlighted. Moitra further questioned if the document was an affidavit and asserted that Hiranandani would have called a press conference rather than used “channel leaks” if he had serious accusations and “confessions” to share. “Darshan Hiranandani has not been summoned by the CBI or the Ethics Committee or indeed by any investigative agency yet. Who then has he given this affidavit to?” Moitra asked. Ethics Committee yet to receive the letter Vinod Sonkar, the chairman of the Parliament’s Ethics Committee, told India Today on Friday that he has not yet received the letter from Hiranandani accusing Moitra of taking money in exchange for answers. According to Sonkar, the committee will review the available material because this is unquestionably a “serious matter.” He told the news channel, “The committee will investigate this. We have requested that parties provide the committee with evidence.” Bribe allegations against Moitra The affidavit was filed a few days after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey sent two letters: one to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw requesting that he look into Moitra’s IP addresses for Lok Sabha log-in credentials to see if they had been accessed by anyone else, and the other to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging that Moitra accepted bribes to protect the interests of the Hiranandani Group. In response to Dubey’s letter to the IT Minister, Moitra had asked the government to reveal location and log-in information for all MPs along with their call detail data. “All parliamentary work of MPs done by PAs, assistants, interns, large teams. Respected @ashwinivaishnaw please release details of location & login details of ALL MPs with CDRs. Please release info on training given to staff to login,” she wrote on the micro-blogging site.

All parliamentary work of MPs done by PAs, assistants, interns, large teams. Respected @ashwinivaishnaw please release details of location & login details of ALL MPs with CDRs . Please release info on training given to staff to login. pic.twitter.com/1Mz61LBjw3

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 16, 2023

With inputs from agencies