West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim on Monday said that the allegations of "bribe for questions" made against TMC MP Mahua Moitra are "an attempt to discredit her". He asserted that these allegations are aimed at tarnishing Moitra's reputation, especially because of her vocal opposition to the BJP-led government at the Centre.
Firhad Hakim, who serves as the minister of urban development and municipal affairs and is also the mayor of Kolkata, stated that he believes the allegations are an effort to silence Moitra and prevent her from raising questions against the BJP government. While he emphasised that he is not the party spokesperson, he expressed his personal opinion that the accusations are part of a larger conspiracy to undermine her.
Hakim, known to be close to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, shared these views during an interview with news channel ABP Ananda.
TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien mentioned that Moitra had already clarified her position regarding the allegations based on her party's advice. The party's leadership intends to wait for the report of the parliamentary panel investigating the matter before making any decisions.
BJP On 'Cash For Question' Row:
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary and MLA Agnimitra Paul has raised questions about whether West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was aware of her MP's alleged activities. Paul alleged that Mahua Moitra had shared her Lok Sabha login credentials with Darshan Hiranandani, who, from Dubai, was posting questions on the Lok Sabha portal.
"TMC MP Mahua Moitra shared the login ID and password of Lok Sabha to Darshan Hiranandani. Sitting in Dubai, he is posting questions on the Lok Sabha portal. Mahua Moitra has accepted a bribe for asking a question about Adani in the Parliament. Wasn't Mamata Banerjee aware of what her MP is doing?..." BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul was quoted as saying by ANI.
The allegations against Moitra involve accusations that she accepted favours from Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of the Hiranandani Group, a real estate-to-energy conglomerate, in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. In response, Moitra filed a defamation suit against the accusers in the Delhi High Court, and the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla referred BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's complaint to Parliament's Ethics Committee.
Darshan Hiranandani, who is alleged to have paid Moitra to raise questions about the Adani Group in Parliament, claimed in a signed affidavit that her intention was to "malign and embarrass Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose impeccable reputation left no room for opposition attacks".
Meanwhile, the state BJP argued that the TMC is divided on this issue, accusing the party of trying to evade responsibility when its leaders face trouble. BJP leader Rahul Sinha stated, "The TMC always tries to shrug off its responsibility whenever its leaders land in trouble. The party is now a divided house on this issue".