‘Amused to see how headless Lokpal referred my case to CBI’: Mahua Moitra | India News

NEW DELHI: TMC MP Mahua Moitra on Saturday said that she was amused how the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, which is currently not functioning with a full-time chairman, referred the complaint to the CBI in connection with the ‘cash-for-query‘ case.
“Amused to see how headless Lokpal with no full-time Chairman “referred” my case to CBI. RTI of 3/11/23 says Lokpal has no Chairman since May 2022 and 3 of 8 member posts also vacant! Maybe the Jharkhand Branch of Pitbull Association also moonlighting as Lokpal Committee under BJP,” Mahua said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Mahua’s response came after the CBI registered an enquiry against her in the ‘cash-for-query’ case.

Mahua Moitra faces allegations of asking questions in Lok Sabha to target Gautam Adani at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani. The TMC MP has denied charges of taking bribes. However, she has admitted to sharing her parliamentary log-in details with Hiranandani, whom she called her “friend.”
The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee has recommended Mahua Moitra’s expulsion after a hearing which was marked by walkout by the opposition members of the panel. The opposition members had accused the panel chairman Vijay Sonkar of asking personal questions to the Trinamool MP.

Last month, in a signed affidavit submitted to the Lok Sabha committee, businessman Hiranandani admitted to using the TMC MP’s parliamentary login to ask questions targeting Adani. This was after the 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.
Meanwhile, Breaking her long silence on the issue, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, “after the arrest of party leaders in different cases, the expulsion of MP Mahua Moitra is being planned. But this would eventually help her before the elections.”
The Trinamool Congress has already come out in support of the embattled MP. Mamata’s nephew and party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had expressed solidarity with Mahua and had labelled the Centre’s move as “vendetta politics.” He accused the BJP of attempting to stifle voices critical of the central government.