Dubai-based business tycoon Darshan Hiranandani said he
signed the affidavit voluntary and without any fear or favour in ‘cash for
query’ row involving sitting Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal’s Krishnanagar Mahua
Moitra.
Reportedly, refuting Moitra’s charges of him doing so
as ‘a gun was put to his head’, Hiranandani remarked, “The affidavit is signed
by me, signed by me voluntarily, no fear, no favour. Testimony of that is that
I had it notarised at the Indian consulate in Dubai…. Since I am in Dubai, I
had it notarised in the Indian Consulate in Dubai. Then I sent it to the
Privilege Committee of Lok Sabha and copied to CBI and Dr Nishikant Dubey by
email.”
The ‘cash for query’ row surfaced when BJP MP
Nishikant Dubey in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had accused Trinamool
Congress MP Mahua Moitra of receiving bribes from Hiranandani for posing
questions related to the Adani Group in the Parliament.
Nishikant Dubey had claimed the said proof was
provided by Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai. The BJP MP had alleged that Moitra’s
login credentials were accessed in Dubai and the National Informatics Centre had
provided the information to the probe agencies.
Later, the Parliament Ethics committee called Nishikant
Dubey and Jai Anant Dehadrai to submit oral evidence of the charges before it
on October 26.
The industrialist, in his affidavit, had claimed that
Moitra allegedly provided him with her Parliament login credentials, enabling
him to post the questions directly on her behalf.
However, Hiranandani stated, “I think that me being
entangled in this whole matter is an error of my judgment. And like I said, I’ve
been very clear and explicit in my affidavit about what happened. And, you
know, I’ve got nothing more to add as far as that’s concerned.”
“Since it involved me by name directly and personally,
it was incumbent upon me as a responsible citizen to bring the facts as they
are before the public. Our groups are law abiding business with a focus to
build a nation. And frankly, I regret that my personal error of judgment has
embarrassed my family directly and my employees and my company indirectly”, he
added.
“But reality is I felt that instead of a long process
of investigation and denials, I must come forward with the facts upfront and
cooperate fully as is my nature” commented Hiranandani.
NE Watch Desk
