The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on Thursday began its first meeting on the cash-for-query charge against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. Lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai is recording his statement before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey will also record their statements regarding the allegations they levelled against Moitra.

Dubey filed the complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and included documents provided by Dehadarai as evidence. The speaker, in turn, referred the matter to the committee under the leadership of BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar. 

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"Oral Evidence of Shri Jai Anant Dehadrai, Advocate in respect of complaint dated 15 October 2023 given by Dr Nishikant Dubey, MP against Smt. Mahua Moitra, MP for alleged direct involvement in cash for query in Parliament. Oral evidence of Dr. Nishikant Dubey, MP, in respect of complaint dated 15 October, 2023 given by him against Smt. Mahua Moitra, MP for alleged direct involvement in cash for query in Parliament," the panel schedule for Thursday said. 

The complaint was based on a letter by Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai in which he claimed that businessman Darshan Hiranandani gave bribes to Moitra to ask questions in Parliament, targeting the Adani Group. 

In an affidavit, the businessman alleged that he used Moitra’s Parliamentary login to ask questions from the central government.

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“She shared with me her email ID as a 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… Certain information was shared with me, based on which I continued to draft and post questions using her Parliamentary login whenever needed,” Hiranandani said in the affidavit. 

However, the TMC MP refuted the charges against her and said that she had been targeted for raising favouritism to the Adani group and referring to her claim about Dubey's educational qualifications.

Moitra also said that she is prepared for any inquiry. The TMC MP emphasised that she is ready to answer questions from the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee.