TMC's Mahua Moitra likely to skip ED's summons in foreign exchange violation case

Moitra, who is the TMC candidate from West Bengal's Krishnagar for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, was summoned to ED's Delhi office along with businessman Darshan Hiranandani in the case linked to the cash-for-query case.

Moitra will continue with her campaign for the upcoming polls, reports said.

The expelled Lok Sabha MP was supposed to be questioned by the ED over her transactions linked to a NRI account.

Days ago, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Moitra's Kolkata residence in the case, which led to the 49-year-old politician losing her parliamentary seat.

She was elected to Lok Sabha from Krishnanagar in 2019.

Earlier, Lokpal, an anti-corruption authority, had asked the CBI to probe into the allegations and send a report within six months.

Brief about the case

The controversy was triggered after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on October 15, 2023 accused Moitra, who is known for her fiery speeches in Parliament, of asking questions on businessman Gautam Adani in Parliament in exchange for money.

Moitra, whose choice of words had triggered rows both inside and outside Parliament in the past, has been accused of accepting bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani and sharing her Parliament login details.

Dubey, a three term MP from Jharkhand's Godda constituency, even cited a letter from Moitra's estranged partner Jai Anant Dehadrai, a Supreme Court lawyer, in claiming that Moitra received bribes.

In several interviews, Moitra, who was expelled by the Lok Sabha on the report of the Ethics Committee, claimed she received a few gifts from Darshan but no money and shared the login details to put her questions on the portal only but she used to receive the OTP on her phone.