Oppose the BJP’s Character Assassination Campaign against Mahua Moitra

Notorious BJP MP from Godda, Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey has accused TMC MP Mahua Moitra who is known for her powerful speeches in Parliament exposing the Modi government and the Sangh-BJP brigade on multiple counts of being bribed by a corporate rival of the Adani group. Dubey who is a habitual offender using derogatory and misogynistic language in Parliament has sent this complaint to the Speaker who has promptly referred it to the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee. Ironically, the Ethics Committee also comprises Danish Ali of BSP, who is yet to get any justice in the case of the hate-filled threats directed against him by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri.

A dubious ‘affidavit’ signed by Darshan Hiranandani, the Dubai-based CEO of the Hiranandani group, confessing to the alleged favours he has given to the TMC MP who in turn apparently gave her access to her Lok Sabha login id and password for submission of questions, is the biggest ‘weapon’ that Nishikant Dubey seems to have marshalled so far in his campaign against Mahua Moitra. The affidavit followed an initial denial issued by the Hiranandani group in response to Dubey’s allegations. The affidavit also accuses renowned corporate lawyers Shardul Shroff and Pallavi Shroff and noted investigative business journalist Sucheta Dalal of helping Moitra in raising questions against the Adani group, an allegation that has been categorically denied by the concerned lawyers and journalist.

There is clearly a concerted attempt by the Modi government to target every opposition parliamentarian who has been vocal about the Adani group’s corruption and the Modi-Adani nexus. Rahul Gandhi was dismissed from Lok Sabha, Sanjay Singh has been arrested and now Mahua Moitra finds herself at the receiving end of a character assassination campaign and a conspiratorial bid to end her Lok Sabha membership.

The targeting of Mahua Moitra should not be seen as an extension of any corporate rivalry or driven by vengeance harboured by a few individuals for their own reasons. The Modi government is targeting these parliamentarians not just to persecute some opposition voices or silence the parliamentary debate but to delegitimise any questioning of Adani’s monumental corporate fraud or of the Modi-Adani nexus being driven by corporate rivalry and corrupt political means. The battle against fascist aggression and corporate plunder must therefore stand with every persecuted parliamentarian – Rahul Gandhi or Sanjay Singh, Danish Ali or Mahua Moitra – regardless of their political affiliations.