Shashi Tharoor Condemns Edited Images With Mahua Moitra As 'Cheap Politics' Amid Allegations Of Parliamentary Misconduct

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has spoken out against the dissemination of manipulated images that portray him alongside Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. He decried this act as a form of "cheap politics." Tharoor argued that the circulation of these edited images was meant to troll him, and he urged people not to take such incidents too seriously. He clarified that the images were from a birthday party, attended by about 15 individuals, including his sister. Mahua Moitra also reacted strongly to the images, attributing their circulation on social media to the BJP's troll team.

In a related development, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, titled "Re-emergence of nasty 'Cash for Query' in Parliament." In this letter, he accused Mahua Moitra of serious breaches of privilege, contempt of the House, and a criminal offense under Section 120A of the Indian Penal Code. According to Dubey, his complaint to the Lokpal alleges that Moitra received Rs 2 crores in cash from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in both Indian and foreign currencies in exchange for posing questions in Parliament. He also claimed that Hiranandani used Moitra's Lok Sabha login credentials while she was traveling abroad.

In response to these allegations, Mahua Moitra submitted a sworn and notarized affidavit to the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee. In this affidavit, Hiranandani, who later became an approver in the case, accused Moitra of providing him with her "Parliament login and password" to post questions on her behalf. Moitra raised concerns about the authenticity of the affidavit, pointing out that it was on plain white paper and not official letterhead. She suggested that there may have been coercion involved in obtaining it. This controversy highlights the tensions and allegations surrounding parliamentary conduct and ethics.