Adani Group Says Complaint Against MP Mahua Moitra Corroborates Bid To Tarnish Image
This arrangement to 'besmirch' the reputation of the group and Gautam Adani has been in place since 2018, says the conglomerate.
The Adani Group on Monday said a complaint filed by a Supreme Court lawyer with the Central Bureau of Investigation against Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra over quid pro quo regarding parliamentary queries corroborates that the conglomerate was being targeted to tarnish its image.
The complainant, Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, in a sworn affidavit to the CBI, has alleged "the commission of an elaborate criminal conspiracy" by Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani for specifically targeting the Gautam Adani-led conglomerate through parliamentary questions in exchange for "cash" and "gifts".
Hiranandani is the chief executive officer of the Mumbai-based Hiranandani Group.
"This development corroborates our statement of Oct. 9, 2023 that some groups and individuals have been working overtime to harm our name, goodwill and market standing," the Adani Group said in a statement.
"In this particular case, the lawyer’s complaint reveals that this arrangement to besmirch the reputation and interests of the Adani Group and our Chairman Mr. Gautam Adani has been in place since 2018," it said.
The Ahmedabad-based company referred to its statement last week where it alleged that there is a “renewed attempt” by Financial Times and its “collaborators to rehash old and baseless allegations” to “tarnish” the Adani Group’s image in an old case dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The company said it has "pointed out that one tactic in their playbook includes putting out media reports with an uncanny ability to appear just before the hearing dates of important cases in India’s courts."
On Sunday, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wrote to Speaker Om Birla urging him to constitute an "inquiry committee" to look into the charges against the Trinamool Congress MP.
Dubey alleged that Moitra's conduct marks the "reemergence of cash for query", a reference to the 2005 media expose of many MPs asking questions in Parliament in exchange for bribes.
Rejecting the allegations and responding to Dubey's letter, Moitra said she "welcomes any move against her after the Lok Sabha Speaker is finished dealing with pending charges against him (Dubey)".
"Also welcome CBI enquiry into my alleged money laundering," she said in a post on social media platform X.
On Monday, Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said if the allegations against Moitra are true, it is "shocking and shameful".
In a post on X, the minister said a company linked to Hiranandani's business interests "was actively and aggressively lobbying for Data Localization" and questioned whether the MP's parliamentary questions were "at the behest of a Data center company".
"Language used in PQ is very similar (linking 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 said.
He also shared an image of the parliamentary question dated March 16, 2022.
The TMC MP then responded to his post saying she is a member of the Communications and Information Technology committee and a joint parliamentary committee on data protection, and her questions were "valid".
"If hostile nation can steal data from apps—can’t they steal India user data stored overseas? Don’t insult my intelligence by alleging I’m fronting others," she said.
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