Bhubaneswar: Even as the ethics committee of Lok Sabha is set to examine the ‘cash for query’ allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, reports about alleged involvement of a parliamentarian from Odisha has created ripples in political circles in the state.
Stating that reported involvement of an MP from Odisha has tarnished the image of the state, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said that the people of the state are keen to know the name of the Parliamentarian.
Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, state BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said it is a shameful act for an elected representative to raise questions in Parliament in lieu of money. Such act is an insult to parliamentary democracy, he said.
The image of Odisha also gets lowered when the name of an MP from the state figures in the whole episode, the BJP leader said, adding that it would not be appropriate to take any name as the ethics committee of Lok Sabha is handling the issue.
However, the people of the state will definitely be keen to know as to which MP from Odisha is involved in the scandal, he said.
The BJP leader said that a post on X has claimed that Rs 2 crore in cash was paid by Hiranandani to Moitra in May 2021, specifically for targeting Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha, in the international press and to file complaints to statutory authorities in India such as SEBI, ED, DRI, Income Tax.
This tranche of Rs 2 crore in cash was made via Hawala channels to a very close associate of Mahua Moitra, also a member of Parliament from Odisha with whom the funds were ultimately kept for safekeeping, he quoted the post as saying.
Biswal said it further mentions about purchase of some high-end items, including furniture, for Moitra by the same MP from Odisha, “who would then deduct the value from the cash kept with him for safekeeping”. The invoice was also in the name of the parliamentarian from Odisha, it added.
The BJP leader expressed the hope that truth will finally be established.
While the ethics committee of Lok Sabha has called BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey and advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai on October 26 for a oral evidence hearing in connection with their “cash for query” allegations, Moitra has filed a defamation suit against Debey and several news organisations in Delhi High Court for making “false and defamatory allegations” against her.
