Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of the real estate and infrastructure company Hiranandani Group, reportedly gifted Mahua Moitra “only a scarf, some lipsticks and makeup items”, and not a list of expensive presents as claimed by advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. But Darshan’s car does “pick and drop” the Trinamool Lok Sabha MP when she’s in Mumbai.
“Only things I received from Darshan Hiranandani were a scarf and some lipsticks and makeup items that he used to pick from Dubai airport’s duty-free. And when I go to Mumbai, his car picks up and drops me. I don’t stay with him,” Mahua Moitra said in an interview with India Today.
Elaborating on the list of ‘luxury’ gifts by Darshan, Moitra reminded audience that she was a banker before joining politics and used to earn over Rs 2 crore.
“There is no proof that they offered me money and I was a banker in 2008 when I entered grassroots politics and used to earn multiple times of Rs 2 crore at that time. Charges that I would take Rs 2 crore unproven cash is a ludicrous one,” The Trinamool Congress MP said.
She also demanded that Darshan Hiranandani, who turned so-called approver in the cash-for-query case, should provide an itemised list of gifts he claims to have provided.
Calling Darshan a “close personal friend”, the TMC MP justified that a person will go to a friend in need and not to Nishikant Dubey, whom she also described as ‘Jharkhandi pitbull’.
“Darshan is my close personal friend, continues to be so and has been one when I was not an MP. Darshan Hiranandani’s father and he have a very large real estate company. When I was allotted my government bungalow, it was in a dilapidated state. There were five false ceilings and light did not come in. I told Darshan to get one of his architects to let me know how the bungalow can be redesigned to allow more lights and how CPWD can do it,” Mahua Moitra said.
During the interview with India Today, she also showed the designs that Darshan Hiranandani gave. “CPWD designed it and no private entity entered here. Obviously, I won’t go to Nishikant Dubey to get the design of my house. I would go to a friend,” Moitra said.
Accepting that she gave her Parliament login and password to Darshan Hiranandani, Mahua Moitra justified that there is no rule as to who can have the login. The TMC MP further revealed that her sister’s child also logged in from Cambridge and typed in her questions.
She said that no MP puts the questions themselves, and the login and the passwords remain with their team. “But then an OTP comes and it comes to my phone only. It does not go to Darshan’s phone. Only when I provide the OTP, the questions are submitted,” Moitra said dismissing all charges.
The Trinamool Lok Sabha MP said the charge that Darshan Hiranandani logged in from Dubai and it is a compromise on security is “ludicrous”.
“The NIC login has no rules as to who can have the login or not. Every single MP’s questions are given to their large teams. You are saying I have given it to a foreign entity. Darshan Hiranandani is a friend, and an Indian citizen. His passport has been made public,” she said.
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