With the Trinamool Congress officially maintaining distance from the controversy surrounding its MP Mahua Moitra, who has been accused of taking bribes from an industrialist in exchange of raising questions in Parliament, the BJP has now claimed that the TMC has abandoned her.
BJP leader Rahul Sinha said Trinamool cannot shrug off its responsibility. “The TMC always tries to shrug off its responsibility whenever its leaders are either arrested or land into trouble. The TMC needs to explain whether it supports Mahua Moitra or not,” PTI quoted Sinha as saying.
Reacting to the development, BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya took to X platform, saying TMC chief Mamata Banerjee won't defend anyone else but Abhishek Banerjee. "It is not surprising that Mamata Banerjee has abandoned Mahua Moitra. She will defend no one else but Abhishek Banerjee, who is no less delinquent… Several TMC leaders are in jail on serious corruption and criminal charges but Mamata Banerjee has maintained radio silence," he posted on X.
Last week, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai alleged that Moitra had accepted favours from Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of real estate-to-energy group Hiranandani, to raise questions in Parliament about Adani Group. In response, Moitra filed a defamation suit against them before the Delhi High Court.
After Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, his complaint was referred to Parliament's Ethics Committee.
TMC said the party has nothing to say on this issue. “We think the person around whom this controversy is revolving is best suited to react to this,” said TMC's West Bengal general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
Hiranandani recently claimed in a signed affidavit that Moitra targeted Gautam Adani to "malign and embarrass" Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Moitra has denied the allegations and questioned the credibility of Hiranandani's affidavit, claiming it was "drafted by the PMO" and he was forced to sign it after being "threatened" with "total shut down" of his family's businesses.
-- with PTI inputs
