Kolkata:

The Trinamool Congress has determined to keep up distance from the controversy surrounding its MP Mahua Moitra, who has been going through allegations of taking bribes for elevating questions in parliament.

Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of actual estate-to-energy group Hiranandani, who allegedly paid Ms Moitra to lift questions in Parliament about Adani Group, just lately claimed in a signed affidavit that she focused Gautam Adani to “malign and embarrass” Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose “impeccable reputation” gave opposition no alternative to assault him.

A replica of the affidavit was reviewed by PTI.

“The party has nothing to say on this issue. We think the person around whom this controversy is revolving is best suited to react to this,” Trinamool’s West Bengal basic secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh mentioned.

#WATCH | West Bengal | Allegations of bribery in opposition to TMC MP Mahua Moitra: TMC State General Secretary Kunal Ghosh says, “…No comments…Regarding this issue, the TMC will not say anything… The related person may answer this, not the TMC party…” pic.twitter.com/uIqFZSeDE1

— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2023

Another senior TMC chief, who didn’t want to be named, mentioned the social gathering management is unwilling to get into an issue and thus “will be maintaining distance from it.” Reacting to the event, BJP chief Rahul Sinha mentioned West Bengal’s ruling social gathering cannot shrug off its accountability.

“”The TMC always tries to shrug off its responsibility whenever its leaders are either arrested or land into trouble. The TMC needs to explain whether it supports Mahua Moitra or not,” he said.

Earlier in the week, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai alleged that Ms Moitra had accepted favours from Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. In response, Ms Moitra filed a defamation suit against them before the Delhi High Court.

Mr Dubey’s complaint has been referred to Parliament’s Ethics Committee by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Vinod Sonkar, the chairman of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, had said he had received the sworn-in affidavit from Hiranandani.

Ms Moitra, however, 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 “complete shut down” of his family’s businesses.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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