TMC leader and Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday said she would appear before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on Thursday and demolish all lies propagated in an attempt to silence her in Parliament.
Moitra also sought to delete as parties several media houses from her plea before the Delhi High Court against circulation of alleged fake and defamatory content against her. The dropped parties also include social media platforms X, Google and Youtube.
The panel probing allegations of 'cash for questions' against Moitra has asked her to appear before it on November 2 and turned down her request to give time till November 5. "I will be attending the Ethics Committee meeting on November 2. I have the right to cross examine the fake complainant...This complaint is utter rubbish and I am going to demolish it," Moutra said.
Moitra said the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee is yet to frame it's model code of conduct. "The committee didn't have any meeting since 2021. It is yet to frame it's model code of conduct. No parliamentary standing committee has criminal jurisdiction. If there is any allegations of criminality, then law enforcement agencies need to investigate it," she said.
The counsel for Moitra, while maintaining that he was not pressing for any interim relief in the matter at this stage in the High Court, told Justice Sachin Datta that the lawsuit will continue only against two defendants -- BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai.
Dubey has accused Moitra of taking bribe from Hiranandani Group CEO Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament and urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to constitute an inquiry committee to look into the charges against her.
Citing a letter he received from advocate Dehadrai, Dubey has said the lawyer shared "irrefutable" evidence of bribes allegedly being given to the TMC leader by the businessman.