Sagarika Mitra, Content Head of JAN KI BAAT, breaks down the details of Darshan Hiranandani’s EXPLOSIVE statement in the Cash for Query scandal involving TMC MP Mahua Moitra
In the biggest and most explosive twist in the ‘Cash For Query’ scandal involving TMC MP Mahua Moitra, Darshan Hiranandani, son of real estate billionaire Niranjan Hiranandani, turned approver against her and admitted using her Parliamentary login to ask questions from the central government.
This bombshell admission comes in the form of a sworn and signed affidavit. The contents of this affidavit, are in the public domain just a day before Mahua Moitra’s defamation suit against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and get former partner and Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai comes up for hearing in the Delhi High Court.
Notably, this affidavit calls into question the relationship between Mahua Moitra and Darshan Hiranandani, shedding light on political motivations, behind-the-scenes lobbying, and the support she allegedly received in her campaign against the Adani Group and the Narendra Modi government.
Admission of Parliament Login ID and Password Sharing:
The most startling revelation in this affidavit is that Mahua Moitra, a Member of Parliament, had shared her login ID and password with Darshan Hiranandani. In his own words, Hiranandani states: “She shared with me her Parliament login and password, so that I could post the questions directly on her behalf when required.”
Darshan Hiranandani claims that Mahua Moitra requested him to support her in her attacks on the Adani group and deliberately gave him her parliament login and password to post questions on her behalf.
”She told me that she was particularly happy with the response and support she got from the Opposition members and certain sections of media. She therefore requested me to keep supporting her in her attacks on the Adani group and provided me her Parliament login and password so that I could post the questions directly on her behalf when required”
Pressure, Favours & Luxury Gifts
In the affidavit, Hiranandani goes on to paint a picture of Mahua Moitra as a highly demanding and assertive individual. He alleges that she persistently requested various favours, which included luxury items, support for renovations to her official Delhi residence, travel expenses, holidays, and logistical assistance for her travels, both domestic and international. Hiranandani claims that this pressure was exerted to ensure his continued close association with her
”Importantly, she also made frequent demands of me and kept asking me for various favours, which I had to fulfil in order to remain in close proximity with her and get her support. The demands that were made and favours that were asked included, gifting her expensive luxury items, providing support on renovation of her officially allotted bungalow in Delhi, travel expenses, holidays, etc, apart from providing secretarial and logistical help for her travels within India and to different parts of the world. I could ill-afford to displease her. Many a times I felt that she was taking undue advantage of me and pressurising me to do things I didn’t want to, but I had no choice, because of the aforementioned reasons”
Lobbying, Advisors, and International Support to target Modi & Adani
The affidavit by Darshan Hiranandani unearths a multifaceted network of advisors and supporters that were allegedly aiding Mahua Moitra in her campaign against the Adani Group and the Narendra Modi government. Some of the explosive excerpts from the affidavit that reveal the intricate web are as follows:
“She had interactions with many Congress leaders, including Sh. Rahul Gandhi, on matters relating to Adani companies. She also had frequent interactions with international journalists from the Financial Times, the New York Times, the BBC, and also with several Indian publications. She also received unverified details from several sources, including some claiming to be former Adani group employees. Certain information was shared with me, based on which I continued to draft and post questions using her Parliamentary login whenever needed”
Targeting Modi via Adani: A Calculated Strategy
In a bombshell revelation, Darshan Hiranandani’s affidavit uncovers the calculated approach adopted by Mahua Moitra to ascend the political ladder by targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the affidavit asserts, Moitra was purportedly advised by her circle of friends and advisors that the swiftest path to national recognition lay in personally attacking the Prime Minister. However, with PM Modi’s impeccable reputation and an apparent lack of vulnerabilities in his policy, governance, or personal conduct, Moitra faced an intimidating challenge. Unfazed, as per Hiranandani’s affidavit, she is said to have devised an alternative strategy – directing her political attacks towards industrialist Gautam Adani and his business conglomerate, given their prominence and shared origin in Gujarat.
”She thought that the only way to attack Sh. Modi is by attacking Sh. Gautam Adani and his group as both were contemporaries, and they belong to the same state of Gujarat. She was helped by the fact that the rise of Sh. Gautam Adani had created jealousy and detractors among some businesses, politics and media, both within and outside the country. So she got support from these sections in her endeavour to malign and embarrass the Prime Minister by targeting Sh. Adani”
As per Hiranandani, Moitra allegedly leveraged the growing resentment and detractors surrounding Adani’s business success from various quarters, both within India and abroad. This discontented milieu provided a fertile ground for her to garner support and tarnish the Prime Minister’s image by targeting Adani. Moitra’s strategic prowess became evident when she used this approach to draft a series of questions designed to embarrass the government by implicating the Adani group. Facilitating this endeavor, she shared her parliamentary email ID with Hiranandani, granting him the means to supply her with the information and data required for raising these questions in Parliament.
”She shared with me her email ID as 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”
Will ‘Cash for Query’ scandal end Mahua Moitra’s political career?
The shocking revelations from Darshan Hiranandani’s affidavit could potentially send shockwaves through Mahua Moitra’s political career, as they entail serious legal charges.
As per many political observers and legal experts, the direct corroboration of actions such as Quid pro quo – posing questions on behalf of another in exchange for benefits – hints at a potential bribery situation. Additionally, the revelation of sharing parliamentary login credentials constitutes a breach of confidentiality, which is a severe violation. The alleged conspiracy with a malicious agenda to target both the Prime Minister and industrialist Gautam Adani raises significant concerns. Furthermore, these revelations are only the tip of the iceberg, as they might lead to deeper investigations involving charges of money laundering and a more extensive criminal conspiracy aimed at destabilising the economy and the government.
In the immediate term, Moitra’s actions could lead to a clear violation of the MP code of conduct, making disqualification inevitable. As the legal implications unfold, mid-term scenarios could include litigations and the possibility of arrest, while the long-term consequences may damage her credibility and potentially spell the end of her political career.
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