The troubles seem never-ending for TMC MP Mahua Moitra who is embroiled in a cash-for-queries scam. A day after businessman Darshan Hiranandani turned approver and admitted to paying her cash and luxury gifts in exchange for specific questions in the Lok Sabha, the MP’s lawyer seems to have abandoned her.
Mahua Moitra had approached the Delhi High Court to restrain BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, and various media organizations from posting, circulating or publishing any fake or defamatory content against her. The lawsuit was due for hearing today on 20th October.
The matter was heard by Justice Sachin Datta. Moitra has also sought a public apology from Dubey and Dehradrai in three English, Hindi and Bengali newspapers each, as per Live Law.
Today, the matter in the Delhi High Court was adjourned after Mahua Moitra’s lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan announced that he is withdrawing from the case and would no longer represent Mahua. The matter will be next heard on October 31, as per reports.
Speaking to the media, Gopal Sankaranarayanan stated, “I have absolutely no comments except to say, because Jai (Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai) instructed me in a case, I had reached out to him yesterday and had asked him is there any way of exploring a settlement. Jai had said that he will get back to me, but he didn’t. Today when I appeared, Jai personally said to me he had an objection to me appearing. I immediately withdrew and said that I don’t want to do this case.”
#WATCH | Allegations of bribery matter | Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for TMC MP Mahua Moitra says, "I have absolutely no comments except to say, because Jai (Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai) instructed me in a case, I had reached out to him yesterday and had asked him… pic.twitter.com/Xu3Lf0cPJ2
Gopal Sankaranarayanan has indicated that since he knows Advocate Jai Anant and they share a good relationship, Advocate Jai Anant objected to him appearing for Mahua and he has accepted it.
Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai reportedly appeared in court and informed that the advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan had approached him last night and asked him to withdraw his CBI complaint against Mahua Moitra if he wants his dog Henry back.
Following Dehadrai’s objections, Gopal Sankaranarayanan stated that he had only reached out because they were known to each other from a past case.
Live Law report
Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai had shared earlier that Mahua Moitra had kidnapped his beloved pet dog Henry and has been keeping him away from his dog. Mahua and Jai Anant were in a relationship earlier. Mahua has claimed that the allegations against her are a jilted ex’s response to the break-up.
On 19th October, businessman Darshan Hiranandani, in a 3-page affidavit, admitted to paying Mahua Moitra with expensive gifts, cash, and spending huge amounts of money for her house renovation, travels, and other luxuries in exchange for specific questions in the Lok Sabha. He also admitted that Moitra had shared his Lok Sabha login credentials with him to pose questions that targeted the business interests of his rival Adani Group.
On Thursday (19th October), Canadian Foreign Minister Melaine Joly courted controversy after she failed to answer a direct question on whether her country shared evidence with the Indian government about the latter’s supposed involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
During a press briefing, a reporter asked Melaine Joly, “Can you clarify (whether) have you shown them the evidence you are basing your claim on and have you walked them on how Canada reached this conclusion?”
The Canadian Foreign Minister initially fumbled but later said, “We had numerous conversations with India before Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau) went in front of the House and made his declaration. This was not a surprise to the Government of India. “
#BREAKING: Canadian Foreign Minister @melaniejoly left red faced in a media interaction as she is unable to answer question on why Canada failed to share any evidence with India on killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada confirms withdrawing 41 diplomats from… pic.twitter.com/ineznOsMSD
On being pressed about the ‘evidence’, she dodged the question and said that India was made aware of ‘credible allegations’ through ‘conversations.’
“And so based on that, India has decided to take their own decisions which are precedent-setting and revoking the diplomatic immunity of 41 diplomats is not only unprecedented but also contrary to international law. So in that sense, this is unprecedented and would put so many countries, and different diplomats around the world in danger. We decide not to reciprocate,” Melaine Joly went on a tirade.
The reporter pointed out that the Canadian Foreign Minister did not answer the question about ‘evidence’ being shared with the Indian authorities. In her defence, Melaine Joly said that there were meetings and ‘information’ was shared.
It must be mentioned that the Canadian government has so far not provided any specific proof, which could remotely point fingers at India’s role in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In fact, British Columbia Premier David Eby has gone on record to say that briefings provided to him by CSIS (Canadian Intelligence Agency) about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar were ‘open source’ and based on material available on the internet.
The Background of the Controversy
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the head of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib and a wanted Khalistani terrorist in India, was shot dead in Surrey by two unidentified assailants on June 18, 2023. He was a wanted terrorist by the Indian Government. The 46-year-old hailed from the village Bhar Singhpura of Jalandhar.
On September 19, the Canadian government expelled one Indian diplomat after PM Justin Trudeau blamed India for the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The development came after Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly informed in a presser that the allegations of India’s involvement are being investigated. She termed the killing an attack on Canada’s sovereignty and informed that as a consequence, Canada has expelled one top Indian diplomat.
In a swift response, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that any allegation of India’s involvement in Nijjar’s killing is ‘absurd and motivated’. It has also expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in response to Canada’s hostile behaviour towards India, and open support to anti-India terrorists.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi shared on X, “The High Commissioner of Canada was summoned today and informed about India’s decision to expel a senior Canadian diplomat based in India. The Concerned diplomat has been asked to leave India in the next five days.”
Thereafter, Canada issued travel warnings to Indian citizens in the country, stopped the issuance of new visas and even directed the country to downsize its diplomatic presence in India.
In fact, Justin Trudeau is now facing the heat from Canadian media, which has been insisting the government to share evidence in the public domain.
After two weeks of air strikes in retaliation to the Hamas terror attack on 7 October, Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip will start soon. Talking to troops waiting near the Gaza border, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that the orders to enter the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave will come “soon.”
“You now see Gaza from afar, soon you will see it from the inside,” Gallant told troops of the Givati Brigade, as per a report by Times of Israel. “The order will come,” he added. “We will be precise and deadly and we will continue until we complete the mission,” he further said.
Gallant also took responsibility for the failure to prevent the Hamas terror attack on Southern Israel two weeks ago. “I am responsible for the defence establishment. I was responsible for it in the last two weeks, even in the difficult incidents, and I am responsible for bringing it to victory in the battle,” Gallant said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also paid a visit to the frontlines, rallying a group of Golani soldiers near the Gaza border and telling them Israel was on its way to a major victory. “We are going to win with all our might. All of Israel is behind you, and we are going to strike our enemies so that we can achieve victory,” the PM said addressing the soldiers.
Talking about the anticipated ground invasion, senior officials of the Israeli government have said that it will be a large-scale operation, with the objective of wiping out Hamas from Gaza. Visiting the border area where there is a large Israeli military build-up including thousands of tanks and armoured vehicles, officials told the soldiers that the fight would be “difficult, long and intense.” They assured that Israel would ultimately win the war.
The head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, said the expected ground offensive would be “long and intense.” Talking to the troops at the border, he said, “This war was forced on us, with a cruel enemy that harmed us greatly. But we stopped them… we are striking them heavily.”
Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman said, “Now, the manoeuvre is going to move the fighting to their territory. We are going to beat them in their territory,” adding that “It’s going to be difficult, long and intense.”
Israel has been preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza, especially Gaza City, for a week, and has been warning the civilians in the northern part of the Strip to move to the south. On 13 October the Israel Defence Force asked the 1.1 million people living in Gaza City to move to the south of Wadi Gaza. While many civilians have evacuated, Hamas is continuously preventing the Palestinians from evacuating. Israel alleges that Hamas is not allowing the civilians to leave as they want to use them as shields.
In the Surat district of Gujarat, a Muslim man named Mohammad Rehan was arrested on Wednesday (18th October) for pretending to be a Hindu and blackmailing Hindu girls to send their nude pictures by promising to get them modelling assignments. After the matter came to light, Adajan Police registered a case against the accused and arrested him.
Gujarat, Surat: Mohammad Rehan used to lure girls using Hindu names on social media, promising them modeling jobs worth 50k to 1 lakh in exchange for their revealing photos. Later he used to blackmail them
Reportedly, accused Mohammad Rehan, a Surat resident, used to send messages like “Want work?” to modelling aspirant women over WhatsApp offering them Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh for modelling opportunities in exchange for their nude videos and pictures. Accused Mohammad Rehan had created multiple social media profiles posing as a Hindu to trap Hindu girls especially those belonging to financially needy families. The accused used to upload nude pictures of his victims on illegal websites and earn money.
One of the women contacted by the accused grew suspicious of Mohammad Rehan’s activities and soon learned the truth. The woman informed her family about this and was rescued.
Speaking to OpIndia, Rander Division coordinator of Bajrangdal, Ravi Gupta said “This entire conspiracy was brought to our attention four weeks ago. One of the victims, frustrated by accused Mohammad Rehan’s blackmailing, informed her family, who subsequently approached us for help. After learning about the incident, our team laid a trap. We called accused Mohammad Rehan, and caught him red-handed.”
Ravi Gupta went on to describe how that perpetrator was captured. According to the Bajrang Dal member, during the questioning by the Hindu activists, they searched accused Rehan’s phone and found eight different social media profiles, all with Hindu names. They also found Rehan’s chats with his victims, which included messages blackmailing them into sending their nude pictures. The Hindu activists eventually handed over the accused to the police.
“We nabbed the perpetrator as soon as he arrived at the scene. We began talking to him and questioning him. His phone had eight distinct social media profiles. All of these accounts were created in the name of Hindus, and many of them were used to send messages to Hindu girls. Apart from this, we questioned him about some nude photos of girls we found on his phone. But soon he got infuriated, and to avert any untoward situation, we called the police and handed the accused to them.”
The accused used to take nude pictures of the Hindu girls in such a manner that their faces would not be visible. He used to upload these nude pictures on websites banned in India and those operated from the US and Canada. Accused Mohammad Rehan used to blackmail and threaten to defame Hindu girls after uploading their nude pictures on such illegal websites.
The Hindu organisations have demanded stringent action against the accused. Meanwhile, police are interrogating the accused and will be sending his confiscated mobile phone for forensic lab testing.
The religious festival of Navratri is here and people who believe in Goddess Durga and also in the religiosity of the festival celebrate it by fasting for nine continuous days. Hindus fast during Navratri and they see it as an opportunity to connect with the divine, cleanse the body and mind, and practice gratitude and devotion.
During the Navratri fasting, many believers follow a strict routine and consume only limited food items, refraining from grains, onions, and garlic. However, as it goes for many Hindu festivals, Navratri is also the time where random nutritionists, media portals, and ‘experts’ dish out nonstop advise, on how and what to eat, and what not to do.
One such incident recently happened where a Mumbai-based ‘nutritionist’ was called out by IPS Arun Bothra from Odisha for criticizing the food that is consumed during the Navratri fasts.
On October 20, Bothra slammed Mumbai-based ‘nutritionist’ Sangeetha Aiyer after she meddled in the ongoing conversation between Bothra and IdiGo airlines calling the food that is eaten during the fasts as junk. “Navratri fasting is not a 9-day crash course for weight loss, dolled out on social media by some random nutritionist. For you, fasting is just about the body. For many, it’s about soul cleansing,” Bothra tweeted.
Ma’am, there is big difference between religious fasting and diet plans.
Navratri fasting is not 9-days crash course for weight loss, dolled out on social media by some random nutritionist. For you fasting is just about body. For many it’s about soul cleansing.
The saga began on 18th October when IPS Bothra took to Twitter to laud the services of IndiGo Airlines staff during the fasting season of Navratri. In his tweet, he thanked one of the crew members for serving him with the food eaten during the fast. He said that he avoided taking snacks on the flight as he was fasting and was specially served snacks that he could have during the fast by one of the crew members.
“Mother Divine takes care of you in different forms. Today she came as Purvi, an IndiGo crew member. As I didn’t take snacks due to Navratri fasting she returned with Sabudana Chips, Til Chikki, and tea. When I asked how much to pay, she said- No money sir. I am also fasting,” he tweeted.
Mother Divine takes care of you in different forms. Today she came as Purvi, an @IndiGo6E crew member.
As I didn’t take snacks due to #Navratri fasting she returned with Sabudana Chips, Til Chikki & tea. When I asked how much to pay, she said- ‘No money sir. I am also fasting.’ pic.twitter.com/f4Av5oOZoF
‘Nutritionist’ S Aiyer seemed to mock the food and the festive ritual by calling the food ‘crap’. She quoted the original tweet by Bothra and said, “The gesture is great. The food is crap. You are better off drinking water and trying fasting the way it’s done. Just water.” She suggested that people fasting during the festival of Navratri should only have water and nothing else.
To this Bothra schooled the ‘nutritionist’ by saying that during Navratri, people fasting can have ‘falahari’ food and that she need not judge people based on their religious practices. “During Prayushan, we Jains take only boiled water, and that too during day time. During Ramzan, Muslims have food and water only after sunset. Hindu fasting on Ekadashi is with fruits. Sometimes the fast is Nirjala, without water. During Navratri falahari food is allowed. There is no point in judging people or religious practices. To each his own,” he said.
During fast I don’t take Sabudana etc. but had a little, out of respect for the gesture.
Btw during Prayushan, we Jains take only boiled water and that too during day time. During Ramzan, Muslims have food and water only after sunset.
Aiyer however, didn’t seem to agree. She argued saying that the food that was being served in the name of fasts was junk and that it was unhealthy. “Everyone has morphed fast into a very unhealthy practice eating practice from a physiological standpoint. Muslims, Jains, and Hindus are all alike. The human body knows no religion. My comment was not on a religious practice but on how modern-day fasts have become absolutely unhealthy,” she argued.
Responding to the nutritionist’s rant, Bothra pointed it out that while some people who don’t believe in the religion look at fasts just as some event of weight loss, fasts during Navratri are practiced for soul cleansing. He asserted that Navratri fastings are a religious ritual and believers do not need to follow unwanted advice from self-proclaimed nutritionists and dieticians.
“Navratri fasting is not a 9-day crash course for weight loss, dolled out on social media by some random nutritionist. For you, fasting is just about the body. For many, it’s about soul cleansing. You don’t like to be taught about religious practices and rightly so. Similarly, many of us don’t like to be coached about our beliefs and the way we should or should not celebrate our religious festivals,” he said.
Bothra is a 1996-batch IPS officer who is currently serving as the Additional Director General of Police of the Criminal Investigation Department – Crime Branch (CID-CB) and Transport Commissioner. He also has served as SP and DIG in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Govt of India from 2009 to 2014 in New Delhi and Kolkata.
Navratri has a special significance across the country, especially in the state of Gujarat. The worshippers of Goddess Durga observe a nine-day fast and play Garba during the nights. Many try to give scientific reasons behind fasting and consider it as a mode to keep the body healthy. While scientific opinions on nutrition and nutritional requirements may vary, fastings have more to do with religion and devotion, and as Bothra pointed out, Navratri is not about a crash course on weight loss.
Fasting and abstinence is an essential part of many religious practices around the world because of their significance in teaching humans about discipline and self-control while working on their spiritual quest.
On Thursday (19th October), ‘journalist’ Sucheta Dalal denied knowing Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and helping her in targeting the Adani Group with unverified information.
The development came hours after Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of Hiranandani Group, turned approver in the ‘cash for query’ scandal (also called ‘MahuaGate’) and accused Dalal of aiding Moitra in defaming the Adani Group.
In a tweet, the ‘journalist claimed, “The very fact that he has named me makes this whole letter and his ‘solemn’ statements a farce — I don’t know Mahua Moitra and I think she can confirm it. The question of helping her simply does not arise, NOR did she EVER reach out and ask for any help either!”
Dear @bhupendrachaube — the very fact that he has named me makes this whole letter and his 'solemn' statements a farce — I don't know @MahuaMoitra – and I think she can confirm it. The question of helping her simply does not arise, NOR did she EVER reach out and ask for any… https://t.co/YEsXTTFLNt
It must be mentioned that Darshan Hiranandani accused Sucheta Dalal of working in cahoots with Mahua Moitra to tarnish the reputation of Gautam Adani.
In a signed affidavit, he informed, “Ms Moitra, in her endeavour, was getting help from other people like Sucheta Dalal, Shardul Shroff and Pallavi Shroff, who were also in touch with her, and who were feeding her with all kinds of unverified information relating to Sh. Gautam Adani and his companies. Clearly, there were others who were also assisting her in this targeted attack.“
OSINT handle ‘The Hawk Eye’ pointed out that ‘MoneyLife’ portal, a supposed news outlet co-founded by Sucheta Dalal, had published more than 50 articles targeting businessman Gautam Adani and the Indian conglomerate ‘Adani Group.’
Sucheta Dalal, founder of MoneyLife portal, has published more than 50 articles targeting industrialist Gautam Adani between Jan to Oct'23.
The primary accusation against the Indian ‘journalist’ is that she helped Mahua Moitra with unverified information against the Adani Group. Interestingly, her portal ‘Money Life’ has a section dedicated to the Indian conglomerate.
‘The HawkEye’ pointed out a disturbing pattern in the headlines of articles published by the news portal against Gautam Adani. ‘MoneyLife’ frequently relies on unsubstantiated questions raised by the Congress party to target the Adani group.
Prominent-business-journalist Sucheta Dalal's portal – MoneyLife, acts more of a mouthpiece of Congress.
These are a dozen headlines starting with "Congress Asks 3 Questions on Adani….."
While Sucheta Dalal did not respond to the allegations about ‘MoneyLife’ targeting the Adani group or propagating the narrative of the Congress party, the ‘journalist’ claimed to have no ties with Mahua Moitra, Pallavi Shroff and Shardul Shroff. All three individuals were named by Hiranandani in his signed affidavit.
“This is completely stupefying — I do not know Mahua Moitra personally at all – I may have retweeted some of her stuff. I don’t know Pallavi Shroff and I used to know Shardul Shroff long ago. I dare anyone to find any links between me and them,” Dalal tweeted.
“Requesting IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar to help me get to the bottom of it. Ashwini Vaishnaw also please help. This is one time the govt ought to help prevent this kind of slander by some crooks!!” she sought government intervention against the likes of OSINT handles such as ‘The Hawk Eye.’
This is completely stupefying — I do not know @MahuaMoitra personally at all – I may have retweeted some of her stuff. I don't know Pallavi Shroff and I used to know #ShardulShroff long ago. I dare anyone to find any links between me and them. Requesting IT minister @Rajeev_GoI… https://t.co/uwJ5JymOc3
Several netizens pointed out that Sucheta Dalal, who claimed to not know Mahua Moitra personally, had sent information to the Trinamool Congress MP with respect to Essar Group. They shared screenshot of the interaction between the ‘journalist’ and the politician, who is now under fire over ‘cash for query’ scandal.
Screengrab of the exchange between Dalal and Moitra on X (formerly Twitter)
Sucheta Dalal however claimed that the Twitter interaction was no proof of her personal camaraderie with Mahua Moitra.
“This tweet exchange is being bandied as proof I know Mahua Moitra. Some facts. 1) I did not send any information 2) this is about #Essar among the largest wilful defaulters who had filed a criminal case against me when I wrote for Indian Express,” the ‘journalist’ remarked.
“3) The common factor between #Essar then and #Adani now is Ravi Muthreja who heads communications for both groups! He has been badgering me and holding out veiled threats. The mystery of why my name was dragged in seems solved. Question is- is he still moonlighting?” she alleged
This tweet exchange is being bandied as proof I know @MahuaMoitra. Some facts. 1) I did not send any information 2) this is about #Essar among the largest wilful defaulters who had filed a criminal case against me when I wrote for @IndianExpress 3) common factor between #Essar… https://t.co/wP7WoUywtR
On 15th October this year, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha (MP) Nishikant Dubey levelled serious allegations against Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, saying she took cash and gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask specific questions in the Parliament. MP Dubey has submitted a formal complaint to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking an inquiry against Moitra and urged the Speaker for her immediate suspension.
In his letter, he raised alarming allegations of corruption and misconduct against Moitra. He pointed out alleged bribery between Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani, where cash and gifts were purportedly exchanged for asking questions in Parliament that favoured Hiranandani’s business interests. Dubey raised the allegations based on a letter written to him by advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai.
He added that 50 out of 61 questions raised by Moitra were allegedly aimed to protect and promote Hiranandani’s company that, often focused on rival business conglomerates like the Adani Group. He contended that the alleged conspiracy went unnoticed as Moitra, an opposition leader, openly criticised the government, linking it to business houses while covertly serving her agenda.
He added that the alleged misconduct of Moitra in the Parliament was similar to the infamous “cash for query” episode of December 2005. He further contended the alleged actions of Moitra were to be considered a breach of privilege, contempt of the House and a violation of Section 120-A of the Indian Penal Code.
Dubey stated that Mahua Moitra‘s quid pro quo arrangement with a businessman, which was recently disclosed, revealed her public image of morality to be a deceptive facade. He described it as a “Machiavellian Camouflage” that she used to conceal her criminal activities while projecting the persona of a “firebrand Member of Parliament.”
Retaliating to the allegations, Moitra said she would welcome ED and CBI for enquiry into her alleged money laundering “right after they finish investigating Adani’s offshore money trail, over invoicing, benami accounts”. She urged ED to first file FIR against Adani and raised allegations of coal scam against Adani group.
Darshan Hiranandani is the CEO of real estate giant Hiranandani Group based in Mumbai. The group has diversified into health, education, energy, hospitality, and data centres, and has recently started a technology-led consumer services business under Tez Platforms.
OpIndia accessed a copy of the complaint filed by Adv Dehadrai that contained a list of items that Moitra allegedly got in exchange for asking questions in the Parliament. Click here to know more about the allegations, products, and their costs.
On Thursday (19th October), Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra issued a two-page ‘statement’ soon after Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of Hiranandani Group submitted an affidavit before the Ethics Committee of Parliament. Moitra called the letter a ‘joke’ and alleged that “a gun was put to Hiranandani’s head” to ‘force’ him to sign a white piece of paper with no letterhead.
She questioned that since Hiranandani has not been summoned by the Ethics Committee of Parliament or any investigative agency, then to whom has he submitted his approver affidavit to.
“The affidavit is on white paper and not on official letterhead or notarized. Why would one of India’s most respected/ educated businessmen sign a letter like this on white paper unless a gun was put to his head to do it?” Moitra’s statement reads.
The TMC MP went on to blame the ruling BJP and businessman Gautam Adani for Darshan Hiranandani’s letter claiming that it was drafted by someone in the Primer Minister’s Office (PMO). She claimed that some “half-wit” in the PMO who “doubles up as a creative writer at the BJP’s IT cell” has linked the names of all the opponents of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani in her alleged corruption.
As reported earlier, Darshan Hiranandani in his affidavit mentioned that the anti-Modi brigade of journalists like Sucheta Dalal, Shardul Shroff and Pallavi Shroff, Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor; and foreign media outlets like The NewYork Times and BBC fed her with ‘unverified information’ which she, in turn, shared with Hiranandani who used the Lok Sabha MP’s Parliamentary login to ask questions from the central government.
In response to this, the TMC MP claimed that it is the Modi government that is deliberately targeting people who are staunch opponents of the government as she names journalist Sucheta Dalal and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor.
Mahua Moitra’s ‘statement’ is no less than an Indian daily soap script with mentions of words like, “Samdhi” and “jilted-ex”.
“Shardul Shroff is the brother of Cyril Shroff who has had a bitter separation of business from him. Cyril Shroff is Gautam Adani’s “samdhi” and was on the SEBI’s committee in total conflict of interest. Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor are both people the government targets relentlessly. Sucheta Dalal is an investigative journalist who is always exposing the government. Clearly someone said “Sabh ka naam ghusaa do, aisa mauka phir nahi ayega!” Moitra claimed in her statement.
Mahua Moitra goes on to give an ‘example’ to substantiate her assertion that the affidavit was drafted by the PMO and not Darshan Hiranandani. She claimed that somehow Darshan Hiranandani was compelled by the BJP government to sign the affidavit and was threatened that his government businesses would be stopped. Moitra mentions about Hiranandani Group’s recent projects in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
Interestingly, while the TMC MP asserted that there is no way a wealthy businessman like Darshan Hiranandani who has access to PMO and ministers would be compelled by a first-time MP like her, she did not deny taking gifts from the businessman. Moreover, she did not refute the most controversial accusation pertaining to the alleged “cash-for-query” scam, which is sharing her parliament login credentials with Hiranandani to target Gautam Adani.
“For example, Paragraph 12 claims Darshan gave in to my demands because he was fearful of displeasing me. Darshan and his father run one of India’s largest business groups and their recent projects in UP and Gujarat have been inaugurated by the CM of Uttar Pradesh and by the Prime Minister. Darshan accompanied the PM abroad as part of his business delegation very recently. Why would such a wealthy successful businessman who enjoys direct access to every Minister and the PMO be coerced by a first-time Opposition MP into giving her gifts and giving into her demands? It is totally illogical and only cements the truth that this letter was drafted by the PMO and not Darshan,” Moitra said.
Mahua Moitra claimed that the BJP has been looking for an opportunity to shut her up on the Adani issue. She further raised questions over her “jilted-ex” Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai forwarding the letter to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against whom she has filed pending privilege motions.
“Jai Dehadrai is not some “Supreme Court lawyer” who has done painstaking research on me. He is a jilted ex with an acrimonious personal history with me who wanted to somehow get back at me. If indeed he was witness to all of my corruption why was he with me during the time and why did he wait till now to make it public? Also if he wrote to CBI and the LS Speaker, why out of 543 MPs would he forward the letters to Nishikant Dubey, a man whom I have repeatedly exposed in Parliament and outside, and against whom I have filed pending privilege motions? Why were the contents of Jai’s unverified letter leaked by Nishikant immediately to PTI and the contents used to create a media circus before any investigation was done?” Moitra said.
She went on to claim that the PMO “held a proverbial gun to Darshan and his father’s heads and gave them 20 minutes to sign this letter sent to them.” She alleged that the PMO threatened the Hiranandanis to give in to their demands or the “CBI would raid them and all government business would stop and all PSU bank financing would be stopped immediately.”
The TMC MP asserted that Darshan Hiranandani signed the affidavit to save his family businesses and employees. She concludes her statement by saying that despite the efforts to isolate her, she would continue to raise questions regarding the alleged corruption of Gautam Adani.
In his affidavit, Darshan Hiranandani had claimed that Mahua Moitra bonded extremely well with leaders of the Opposition like Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and Pinaki Mishra and he too thought he could use her clout to get support from opposition leaders, which is why he gave her expensive gifts and fulfilled all her exorbitant demands ranging from gifting her expensive luxury items, providing support on the 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.
The controversy surrounding TMC MP Mahua Moitra
On 15th October, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha (MP) Nishikant Dubey leveled serious allegations against Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, saying she took cash and gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask specific questions in the Parliament. MP Dubey has submitted a formal complaint to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking an inquiry against Moitra and urged the Speaker for her immediate suspension.
Canada Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced on Thursday (local time) that Canada has removed 41 diplomats and their 42 family members, from India over the ongoing row between the two countries.
“As of now, I can confirm that India has formally conveyed its plan to unethically remove diplomatic immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by tomorrow, October 20. This means 41 Canadian diplomats and their 42 dependents were in danger of having immunity stripped on an arbitrary date. And this would put their personal safety at risk,” Joly said, as she confirmed the departure of Canadian diplomats.
This comes after India suspended visa operations to Canada and called for a reduction in Canadian diplomats in India, calling for ‘parity’, owing to the ongoing diplomatic row between the two nations.
Canadian Foreign Minister said, “…we have facilitated their safe departure from India. This means that our diplomats and their families have now left diplomatic immunities. Keep diplomats safe, no matter where they’re from and where they’re sent to. Immunities allow diplomats to do their work without fear of reprisal or arrests from the country they’re in.”
“They are a fundamental principle of diplomacy and this is a two-way street. They only work if every country abides by the rules. A unilateral revocation of diplomatic privilege and immunities is contrary to international law. It is a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and threatening to do so is unreasonable and escalatory. If we allow the norm of diplomatic immunity to be broken no diplomats anywhere on the planet would be safe,” she said, adding that Canada “will not reciprocate,” she said, according to CTV news.
Along with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller, the minister made the announcement about the development “on the situation with India” and how it will affect the level of service delivery Canada can offer following the withdrawal of diplomats.
She said, “There’s no question that India’s decision will impact the levels of services to citizens in both countries. Unfortunately, we have to put a pause on all in-person services in our consulates in Chandigarh, Mumbai and in Bangalore.”
“Canadians who need consular assistance can still visit our High Commission in Delhi. And you can still also do that in person by phone and by email,” she added.
This comes after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was questioned on Thursday about the situation with the Indian government’s deadline of October 10 for Ottawa to considerably reduce its diplomatic presence.
Joly would have more to say later, Trudeau said, declining to directly respond to the query, according to CTV News.
“We have been continually engaged in diplomacy and in dialogue with the Indian government,” Trudeau said, adding “This is a serious matter that we are taking extremely seriously,” CTV News reported.
Stating that India’s focus is achieving ‘parity’ in terms of diplomatic presence, the Ministry of External Affairs had called for a reduction in Canadian diplomats in India citing their continued “interference” in New Delhi’s “internal matters”.
Addressing the press briefing earlier, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “Given the much higher presence of diplomats or diplomatic presence here…and their continued interference in our internal matters, we have sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence. Discussions are ongoing on the modalities of achieving this”.
“Given that Canadian diplomatic presence is higher, we would assume that there would be a reduction,” he added.
On being asked if the reduction in the number of Canadian diplomats could see a decrease in the number of visas issued by the Canadian High Commission in India, Bagchi said, “It’s up to the Canadian side, who they choose to staff the High Commission with…our concerns are related to ensuring parity in diplomatic presence”.
He further added that India’s primary focus is on two things; having an atmosphere in Canada, where Indian diplomats can work properly and in achieving parity in terms of diplomatic strength.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently alleged that the Indian government was behind the fatal shooting of Nijjar.
Trudeau, during a debate in the Canadian Parliament, claimed his country’s national security officials had reasons to believe that “agents of the Indian government” carried out the killing of the Canadian citizen, who also served as the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.
However, India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’. Notably, Canada has yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar, who was a designated terrorist in India, was gunned down outside a Gurdwara, in a parking area in Canada’s Surrey, British Columbia on June 18.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
A Canadian politician has been the topic of discussion on social media this week. No, it’s not the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and his “spoke about India and the importance of upholding – and respecting – the rule of law” comment. It is the Canadian leader of the opposition Pierre Poilievre and his interview with a leftist journalist while munching an apple.
A video of Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, from his interview with Times Chronicle editor Don Urquhart has gone viral. The interview was taken when the politician was in Osoyoos town in British Columbia to meet fruit growers there. The journalist said that there is a general impression that Poilievre is a “populist” who plays with people’s emotions in what he found was similar to former US President Donald Trump.
As seen in the video, Pierre Poilievre was seen eating the apple and calmly dismissing the liberal journalist’s assertions as well as asking Urquhart who he was quoting in the video. Prior to moving on to other questions, Urquhart continued his failed endeavours to label the Conservative leader a “populist”.
The entire conversation goes like this:
Journalist Don Urquhart: “In terms of your sort of strategy currently, you’re obviously taking the populist pathway…”
Poilievre: “What does that mean?”
Urquhart: “Mean well…appealing appealing to people’s more emotional levels, I would guess, um.”
Poilievre: “What do you mean by that? Give me an example.”
Urquhart: “Certainly you tape very strong ideological language quite frequently…”
Poilievre: “Like what?”
Urquhart: “Left wing you know this and that right wing you know what I mean..”
Poilievre: “I never really talk about left or right way…I don’t believe in that..”
A visibly nervous Times Chronicle editor decided to mention Donald Trump again insinuating that Poilievre is trying to imitate Trump and his strategies, however, the journalist passed it off as “many people say”. To this Poilievre inquires “which people” say that, amusingly, Urquhart failed to tell which people exactly say that “Poilievre is simply taking a page out of Donald Trump’s book”.
Not losing his calm for even a second, Pierre Poilievre asked the journalist that since he was the one who asked the question “he must know somebody” who said that. The journalist obviously could not name anyone since he was apparently passing off his personal opinion as “a great many Canadians say.”
Moments later, Urquhart brought up the Donald Trump book and the ‘page’ again while “Why would Canadians trust Poilievre their votes given the ideological inclination in terms of taking the page of Donald Trump’s book.”
Poilievre interrupted the journalist to inquire about the ‘page’ he repeatedly mentions.
“What are you talking about? What page? What page? Can you give me the page? Give me the page. You keep saying that,” the Conservative leader asked.
The journalist accused Poilievre of making “quite a play” regarding his rhetoric on Trudeau and the Canadian left wing.
“In terms of turning things dramatically in terms of Trudeau and the left wing and all of this you make, you know it’s quite a play that you make on it..,” the journalist said.
After Pierre Poilievre told him he could not comprehend the question, the journalist instantly moved on to another.
The Conservative leader who is emerging as a popular leader ahead of the elections in Canada next year ended the interview by urging Canadians to vote for him on “common sense” grounds. He bemoaned Trudeau for purportedly producing the “worst inflation in four decades” by printing money eight times faster than the economy.
Pierre Poilievre’s “apple munching interview” reminds Indian netizens of BJP leader Narottam Mishra’s no-nonsense interview with Barkha Dutt while having a meal
The Canadian Conservative Party leader’s taking down of a leftist journalist made many Indian netizens recall the Mojo Story interview by Barkha Dutt wherein Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra while having his food gave fierce and unpologetic responses to Dutt’s questions intended to make the minister give some placating remarks or express guilt over the bulldozing of illegal properties of the rioters involved in anti-Hindu violence in Khargone during Ram Navami last year.
An X user wrote, “Pierre Poilievre’s acting is good. He is copying the style of Narottam Mishra, the world’s popular Indian Sigma celebrity.”
Pierre Poilievre's acting is good. He is copying the style of Narottam Mishra, the world's popular Indian Sigma celebrity.pic.twitter.com/jIYPKNH3gn
— ⚛️ Economist Dr. Abhishek Rai (@Abhishek_Rai012) October 17, 2023
Another one posted, “Reminded me of Mishra and Dutt conversation.”
During the interview last year, Dutt who is notorious for garnering sympathy for terrorists like Burhan Wani by calling him a poor school headmaster’s son, had asked Minister Mishra to explain why the houses of the rioters were bulldozed, allegedly without any legal formalities. She questioned if the state would declare the accused guilty and take such actions in the future. Dr Mishra bluntly told her that it was a tit-for-tat. “These are anti-social elements. They make the lives of others miserable. They burnt down the houses and injured several people who were now admitted to the hospital. An SP was shot by them and a PI was severely injured. You tell me what should be done with people like these.”
Dutt’s attempts to guilt trip Minister Mishra for bulldozing the properties of the rioters fell flat as the BJP leader while enjoying his meal made it clear that the houses of the stone-pelters would be reduced to rubble. Dr Mishra further asserted that if riots happen in the future, his statement will remain the same. When asked if he regrets using Bulldozer, he said he was satisfied with the action. The details of the full interview can be read here.
Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of Hiranandani Group has turned approver in the scandal surrounding Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, which involves allegations of her taking cash and gifts from the businessman to ask specific questions in the Parliament.
In the signed affidavit submitted by Hiranandani, the billionaire businessman accepted paying for most of the questions asked by Mahua Moitra in the Lok Sabha in the form of cash and gifts. He also acknowledged that the TMC MP provided him with her Parliamentary login credentials which he used to ask questions from the central government on her behalf.
To rise to fame, TMC MP was suggested to target Gautam Adani to malign PM Modi
In the explosive revelations, which will undoubtedly make things more difficult for the TMC MP, Darshan Hiranandani further revealed that the TMC MP was “over-ambitious” and in her desperation to shoot to fame, she took the advice of her few friends who told her that the only way to be recognized at a national level is to target PM Modi and since the PM had an impeccable reputation, the only tenable way to do that was to malign Gautam Adani.
“Mahua Moitra was very ambitious and wanted to quickly make a name for herself at the national level. She was advised by her friends and advisors that the shortest possible route to fame is by personally attacking Shri Narendra Modi, the honourable Prime Minister of India. The only problem was that Sh. Modi enjoyed an impeccable reputation and was not giving any opportunity to anyone to attack him in policy, governance or personal conduct. As was her wont, she thought that the only way to attack Sh. Modi is by attacking 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 sections of businesses, politics and media, both within and outside the country. So she expected support from these sections in her endeavour to malign and embarrass the Prime Minister by targeting Adani,” the affidavit read.
“She requested me to keep supporting her in her attacks on the Adani group and provided me with her Parliament login and password so that I could post the questions directly on her behalf when required. I went along with her proposal… Certain information was shared with me, based on which I continued to draft and post questions using her Parliamentary login whenever needed,” Hiranandani said.
Mahua Moitra was fed ‘unverified information’ from people like Sucheta Dalal and Rahul Gandhi on matters relating to Adani companies
The businessman went on to also provide the names of some veteran journalists, opposition leaders, and foreign media outlets who had helped her in her endeavour to utilize Adani as a pawn in order to eventually tarnish the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to the businessman turned approver’s affidavit, the anti-Modi brigade of journalists like Sucheta Dalal, Shardul Shroff and Pallavi Shroff; Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor; and foreign media outlets like The NewYork Times and BBC fed her with ‘unverified information’ which she, in turn, shared with Hiranandani who used the Rajya Sabha MP’s Parliamentary login to ask questions from the central government.
“Ms Moitra, in her endeavour, was getting help from other people like Sucheta Dalal, Shardul Shroff and Pallavi Shroff, who were also in touch with her, and who were feeding her with all kinds of unverified information relating to Sh. Gautam Adani and his companies. Clearly, there were others who were also assisting her in this targeted attack. 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,” the affidavit read.
For the unversed, Shardul Shroff and Pallavi Shroff are lawyers, Shardul Shroff is the Executive Chairman and Pallavi Shroff is the Managing Partner of the law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. Meanwhile, Sucheta Dalal is a veteran financial journalist who has published many articles against the Adani Group.
The businessman, meanwhile, added in his affidavit that Mahua Moitra bonded extremely well with leaders of the Opposition like Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and Pinaki Mishra and he too thought he could use her clout to get support from opposition leaders, which is why he gave her expensive gifts and fulfilled all her exorbitant demands ranging from gifting her expensive luxury items, providing support on the 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.
“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,” he stated.
The controversy surrounding TMC MP Mahua Moitra
On 15th October, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha (MP) Nishikant Dubey levelled serious allegations against Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, saying she took cash and gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask specific questions in the Parliament. MP Dubey has submitted a formal complaint to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking an inquiry against Moitra and urged the Speaker for her immediate suspension.
OpIndia accessed a copy of the complaint filed by Adv Dehadrai that contained a list of items that Moitra allegedly got in exchange for asking questions in the Parliament. Click here to know more about the allegations, products, and their costs.
