Allegations of Using Parliament Access to Target Adani and Undermine Modi: Darshan Hiranandani’s Claims

New Delhi: Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of the Hiranandani Group, a conglomerate spanning real estate and energy, has made startling revelations regarding his alleged involvement with TMC MP Mahua Moitra. Hiranandani claimed that he paid Moitra to raise questions in Parliament about the Adani Group, suggesting that the motive was to tarnish Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image, which had remained relatively untarnished in the eyes of the opposition.

In a signed affidavit, Hiranandani confessed to using Moitra’s parliamentary login to pose questions targeting the Adani Group. This move followed the Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOC) decision to book capacity at the Adani Group’s Dhamra LNG import facility in Odisha rather than at Hiranandani’s planned facility. In return for her services,

Hiranandani alleges that Moitra made numerous demands, including expensive luxury items to support her bungalow renovation, travel expenses, and secretarial assistance for her national and international travels. This revelation comes in the wake of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and Jai Anant Dehadrai, Moitra’s estranged partner and lawyer, claiming that she accepted favours from Hiranandani to raise questions in Parliament. Moitra has filed a defamation suit against them in the Delhi High Court.

The Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, has referred Dubey’s complaint to Parliament’s Ethics Committee for further review. Notably, Hiranandani had reposted news about the Adani Group commencing port operations in Kerala but has since deleted his account following the public release of his affidavit.

At the time of this report, Mahua Moitra could not be reached for comments.

Hiranandani has disclosed that he first met Moitra at the Bengal Global Business Summit in 2017 when she was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). Over the years, he claimed that they developed a close personal friendship. Hiranandani believed he could leverage this connection to gain business opportunities in states governed by opposition parties. Moitra’s ambition to make a name for herself on the national stage, particularly after winning the Lok Sabha election from Krishnanagar, West Bengal, in 2019, led her to target Prime Minister Modi. However, Modi’s unblemished reputation posed a significant challenge for the opposition.

Moitra’s strategy involved targeting Gautam Adani and his conglomerate, who hailed from the same state, Gujarat. She anticipated support from various quarters, given that Adani had attracted criticism from business, political, and media circles. Hiranandani said she used her knowledge of IOC choosing Dhamra over his company’s LNG terminal to draft questions that could embarrass the government by targeting the Adani Group. To facilitate this, she shared her Member of Parliament email ID with him so he could send her relevant information, and she could present these questions in Parliament. Delighted with the response to her initial questions about the Adani Group, Moitra asked Hiranandani to continue supporting her in her attacks on the conglomerate. She also allegedly provided her Parliament login and password so he could post questions on her behalf when needed.

Hiranandani’s affidavit reveals that he was pressured to fulfill numerous demands from Moitra, even if he felt she was taking undue advantage of their relationship. This matter has evolved into a political controversy, with the Parliamentary Privilege Committee and the judiciary now involved, prompting Hiranandani to publicly share these details through an affidavit.

He further described Moitra as a knowledgeable, expressive, and outspoken individual with a deep understanding of economic and business matters. The two had initially connected at the Bengal Global Business Summit 2017, which she attended as a West Bengal MLA designated to engage with industrialists visiting the summit. Over time, their friendship deepened based on mutual respect, intellect and abilities.