'Bribe for questions' allegation against Mahua Moitra character assassination campaign: CPIML(L)

Kolkata: CPIML(L) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya on Tuesday came out in support of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra who has been facing allegations of taking bribes for raising questions in Parliament, claiming that it is a "character assassination" campaign against her by the BJP.

He said Moitra is known for her powerful speeches in Parliament against the Narendra Modi government, the RSS and the BJP.

Coming out in support of the TMC MP, the CPIML(L) leader claimed, in a Facebook post, that it is a "character assassination campaign against Mahua Moitra".

Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of real estate-to-energy group Hiranandani, who allegedly paid Moitra to raise questions in Parliament about Adani Group, recently claimed in a signed affidavit that she targeted Gautam Adani to "malign and embarrass" Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose “impeccable reputation” gave opposition no opportunity to attack him.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, last week, alleged that Moitra, the MP of Krishnanagar in West Bengal's Nadia district, had accepted favours from Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. In response, Moitra filed a defamation suit against them before the Delhi High Court.

Senior West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim had on Monday claimed that the allegation of 'bribe for questions' against Moitra was levelled in an attempt to discredit her as she is vocal in her opposition against the BJP-led government at the Centre.

TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien had on Sunday said that while Moitra on the advice of her party clarified her position regarding the allegations, the leadership would wait for the report of the parliamentary panel that is looking into the matter before taking an "appropriate decision".