New Delhi [India]: Reacting to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey’s letter to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, TMC MP Mahua Moitra asked the IT Minister to release location and login details of all MPs as the parliamentary work is handled by large teams consisting of assistants.
“All parliamentary work of MPs done by PAs, assistants, interns, large teams. Respected Ashwini Vaishnaw please release details of the location and login details of ALL MPs with CDRs. Please release info on training given to staff to login,” Moitra posted on X (Formerly Twitter).
This comes after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey wrote a letter to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Minister of State (MoS) IT Rajeev Chandrashekhar making “cash for query” allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and demanding an inquiry committee against her.
Dubey has claimed that a Supreme Court lawyer had levelled allegations of bribe exchanges between the TMC MP and businessman Darshan Hiranandani.
“Your good self may be aware of the allegations against Mahua Moitra that were presented by an advocate of the Supreme Court of India to the CBI and with my assistance to the Speaker of Lok Sabha.
These allegations include that she committed a criminal breach of trust, violated parliamentary ethics, and acted in a manner that was detrimental to India’s national security,” Nishikant Dubey said in a letter.
“The allegations that have been brought forward in front of the relevant authorities are serious in nature and echo back to the ‘Cash for Query’ incident that came forth almost eighteen years ago.
The claim that the Member of Parliament representing Krishnanagar gave Darshan Hiranandani and the Hiranandani Conglomerate access to her login credentials for the Lok Sabha website so that they could utilise it for their own personal gain is possibly the most damning and grave of all the charges that are being made against her.
If the claims made above are found to be accurate, this constitutes a serious criminal breach of trust as well as a violation of India’s national security because it would give unauthorised individuals access to government websites that may contain classified information,” he said.
Earlier on October 15, Dubey wrote a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker over the same matter, demanding the formation of an enquiry committee against the TMC MP. He has also sought Moitra’s suspension from the House.
In his letter titled “Re-emergence of nasty ‘Cash for Query’ in Parliament”, Dubey has alleged “‘serious Breach of Privilege’, ‘Contempt of the House’ and a ‘Criminal Offence’ under Section 120A of IPC” by the Trinamool Congress MP.
With these grave allegations, an open battle has begun between the BJP MP from Godda, Jharkhand, and the TMC MP from Krishnanagar, West Bengal.
Union Minister of State for Skill Development Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday weighed in on the “cash for query” allegations against Mahua Moitra and said that it is “indeed shocking and shameful.”
He further said if the allegations are proven to be true then it’s a “terrible travesty and misuse of PQs”.
“I have learnt from news reports that this Parliamentary Question was likely asked by an MP at the behest of a Data centre company. If true this is indeed shocking and shameful,” Chandrasekhar posted on X (Formerly Twitter).
I hv learnt from news reports that this Parliamentary Question was likely asked by a MP at the behest of a Data center company.
If true this is indeed shocking and shameful 🤮🤬
It is true that this company was actively and aggressively lobbying for Data Localization.… pic.twitter.com/slrtrNLNSy
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) October 16, 2023
“It is true that this company was actively and aggressively lobbying for Data Localization. The language used in PQ is very similar (linking the need for data localization to data breaches) to that used when the head of this company met me.
I am not aware or privy to the full facts or background on this – but if it is true then it’s a terrible travesty and misuse of PQs,” he added.