Amid the spiralling row over an alleged case of bribery involving Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, the BJP on Friday intensified its attack demanding that either the TMC leader should step down as MP or TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee "sack" her.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey sought to draw the attention of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to the developments in the matter, insisting that an “immediate action is necessary on this”.
The TMC so far has maintained silence on the issue.
What did BJP say?
Reacting to the developments, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla wrote on X, ”In light of the serious allegations, made on affidavit not by one but two key individuals and stakeholders in the entire Mahua Moitra affair, indicating a complete compromise of the parliamentary system.”
This also indicates “a larger compromise of parliamentary ethics, quid pro quo, alleged corruption, conspiracy against larger economic national interests and also illegality with respect to sharing of parliamentary logins,” the BJP spokesperson charged.
“The said MP - Mahua Moitra should step down as MP pending enquiry, given the higher ethical & moral standards she herself sets for the world or else Mamata Didi & TMC (which has been an ostrich in this entire issue) must sack her asap (as soon as possible),” he added.
In a post on X, BJP's Dubey said immediate action is necessary in the matter, tagging the Lok Sabha speaker in his post.
“The way the TMC MP is trying to influence the whistleblower of corruption. Jai Anant Dehadrai... The MP's lawyer accepted in the Delhi High Court today that this is ‘chori aur seenajori’. Immediate action is necessary on this @loksabhaspeaker,” Dubey wrote.
All about the case
Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of real estate-to-energy group Hiranandani, who allegedly paid Moitra to raise questions in Parliament about Adani Group, on Thursday said she targeted Gautam Adani to "malign and embarrass" Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose “impeccable reputation” gave opposition no opportunity to attack him.
In a signed affidavit, a copy of which was reviewed by the PTI, Hiranandani admitted at using Moitra's Parliamentary login to ask questions targeting Adani after state-owned behemoth Indian Oil Corporation booked capacity at the Gujarat-based conglomerate's Dhamra LNG import facility in Odisha and not at his firm's planned facility.
Vinod Sonkar, the chairman of Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, said he has received the sworn-in affidavit from Hiranandani.
Mahua Moitra's reaction
Meanwhile, Moitra has raised questions over the credibility of Hiranandani's affidavit, alleging that 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.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) held a "proverbial gun" to Darshan and his father's heads and gave them 20 minutes to sign this "letter", Mahua claimed in a statement issued on Thursday night.
