Darshan Hiranandani is still a friend, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra told THE WEEK in an interview weeks before she was expelled from the Parliament. Her expulsion was based on an Ethics Committee report that found her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from Hiranandani, a businessman.
Pointing out that the central government is targeting her, she told the magazine in the November 26 issue: “I have realised that Narendra Modi's government wants to make me radioactive. They want to make me into a person whose friends will not mix with her... You realise what lengths this government will go to, put a gun to his father's head, and put a gun to his head and say, please frame Mahua Moitra. You realise the desperation?”
Denying the allegations that her questions on Adani were asked by Hiranandani, she said, “This is the biggest lie. Hiranandani did not ask any questions. I have asked 61 questions over the past five years. There are only nine questions relating to Adani. And each of those nine questions is in public interest. Six of those questions are about the foreign portfolio investors coming into Adani Group, which are in public interest. One is about Dhamra. What is Hiranandani going to do with it? Today, Adani owns everything. Darshan did not write any questions. I had someone in his office type out my questions.”
Explaining her claims that Hiranandani filed the affidavit under duress and it was dictated by the PMO, Moitra told THE WEEK, “The story breaks on the 15th (of October). On the 16th, the Hiranandani Group puts out a disclaimer, saying we know nothing about this. Next day, they get to his father, Niranjan Hiranandani, put a gun to his head, said, 'we put the CBI against you, we put the ED against you, you need to give us something to fix Mahua Moitra ASAP'. They first give him a white paper thing, which he signs and they float it around. And then I raised the question about it.”
“The next day, they made him fly down to Bombay for one day and sit with his father and do this. He flew back and they put a gun to his head, so that tomorrow morning, go to the Dubai office and sign this. It's a 12 paragraph affidavit. Darshan is an educated man with a master's degree, he is an engineer, he runs a huge company. Eleven paragraphs of that thing is singing songs to Narendra Modi and Gautam Adani. If he is Gautam Adani's competitor, why would he write 11 pages of how great Gautam Adani is? Does he say he's a competitor of Adani and wanted to get him? He says Mahua wanted to get famous, hence she was targeting Adani. Do you see the language there? Was he an idiot then that he was helping me? I am an opposition MP. How can I help him?” she added.
Pointing out the lack of logic and legalese in the affidavit, Mahua said, “Where are his businesses? In Uttar Pradesh, in Gujarat, in Maharashtra, all BJP-owned states. In paragraph 12, if he is a bribe giver, he should be writing down. There are no details. On what basis have you hung me? I want to know. Some ex-boyfriend's ridiculous made up fairy tale and Nishikant Dubey being used as a post office? Where is the proof? Where is one rupee? The only reason you know that he gave me a Hermes scarf is because I said so. He has written 'support for renovation of bungalow'. What is support? You could have got me bamboo for the guy to climb up on the scaffolding. Travel expense can be a bus ticket. Is this how an affidavit is written? The BJP has dumbed us down. There is no logic left. There is no reason left. There is no legalese left.”
