In a startling development, Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of the Hiranandani Group, has made a series of explosive statements in a signed affidavit, alleging his involvement in aiding TMC MP Mahua Moitra in her efforts to attack the Adani Group in Parliament. The controversial revelations have sent shockwaves through the political and business communities, raising questions about the extent of influence and collaboration between business leaders and political figures.
Here are the ten explosive statements made by Darshan Hiranandani in his signed affidavit:
- Hiranandani disclosed a long-standing personal friendship with Mahua Moitra, which began when they met at the Bengal Global Business Summit in 2017.
- He believed that their friendship was based on their differing political ideologies, which added depth to their relationship.
- The two friends maintained close ties through regular in-person meetings, telephone conversations, and social gatherings, both in India and abroad.
- Hiranandani described Mahua Moitra as a dominating and assertive personality, who would insist on immediate assistance when requesting help.
- After her election as a Lok Sabha MP in 2019, Moitra's ambition to establish herself on the national stage prompted her to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi by attacking Gautam Adani and his business group, as both hailed from Gujarat.
- Moitra leveraged existing resentment and jealousy within certain sections of the business, political, and media communities against Gautam Adani to support her efforts in tarnishing the Prime Minister's image.
- She formulated questions meant to discredit the Adani Group and the government, using information provided by Hiranandani. He admitted to actively participating in this.
- Hiranandani went on to disclose that he had access to Moitra's parliamentary account and was responsible for posting the questions she raised in Parliament, thereby contributing to her campaign.
- Moitra received support and unverified information from individuals such as Sucheta Dalal, Shardul Shroff, and Pallavi Shroff, who allegedly provided her with information to attack Gautam Adani and his companies. She also interacted with Congress leaders and international journalists from Financial Times, the New York Times, the BBC, etc.
- Hiranandani acknowledged that he fulfilled various personal requests from Moitra, including gifting expensive luxury items, contributing to the renovation of her official residence, covering travel expenses, and providing logistical support for her travels.
Birla refers matter to Parliament's Ethics Committee
However, Mahua Moitra vehemently denied these allegations, calling the document shared by Hiranandani fake and the allegations baseless. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has referred the matter to Parliament's Ethics Committee for further investigation, and Hiranandani has deleted his social media account following the publication of his affidavit.
Mahua Moitra's hits back at Darshan Hiranandani
In her reply, she asks Hiranandani why he did not release the letter officially if he had "confessed" to the claims.
"If indeed he was to witness all of my corruption, why was he with me during the time and why did he wait till now to make it public? Also if he wrote to the CBI and the LS speaker, why out of the 543 MPs would he forward the letter to Nishikant Dubey, whom I have repeatedly exposed in the parliament and the outside and against whom, I have filed pending privilege motions?"
In response to Moitra's comments, Darshan Hiranandani has not yet provided an official response, and the authenticity of the affidavit remains a subject of controversy.
