Cash for query case: Lok Sabha Ethics Committee summons Mahua Moitra on Oct 31

The Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha has summoned Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra to appear before it on October 31 in connection with the cash-for-query allegation against her.

On Thursday, BJP leader Nishikant Dubey, who had lodged a complaint against Mahua Moitra with the Lok Sabha Speaker, and advocate Jay Anant Dehadrai appeared before the Ethics Committee chaired by Vinod Sonkar and recorded their statements.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had referred the matter to the Ethics Committee for investigation.

The panel had summoned Dubey and the advocate over their allegations against Mahua Moitra of "cash for Parliament questions".

Dubey said the advocate, once close to Moitra before having a fallout, has shared "irrefutable evidence of bribes exchanged" between her and businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The fiery TMC member has dismissed the charges as a "jilted ex's lies", a reference to Dehadrai, accused the Adani Group of behind them to target her as she has been relentless in raising questions of the conglomerate's practices and transactions.

In his letter to the Speaker, Dubey said 50 of 61 questions she asked in Lok Sabha till recently were focused on the Adani Group.

In a signed affidavit, Hiranandani, the CEO of real estate-to-energy eponymous group who allegedly paid her to raise questions in Parliament, has admitted that the TMC leader targeted Gautam Adani to "malign and embarrass" Modi whose impeccable reputation gave opposition no opportunity to attack him.