Trinamool Congress leaders quiet on 'cash for query' allegations

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress leadership in Bengal is maintaining a premeditated silence on their party MP Mahua Moitra's alleged involvement in the "cash for query" issue. However, a section of the Trinamool leadership said it is "political vendetta" and that the law would take its own course as she has already filed a defamation case.

Calling it "political vendetta", Minister for Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs Sobhondeb Chattopadhyay, told ET: "The Ethics Committee of Parliament has been appointed to study what Mahua Moitra said on the floor of Parliament. The Ethics Committee will follow its own course of action. Moitra has already filed a defamation suit. Now, it is under the purview of the court. Whatever the court does will be final."

"As a party, we have maintained an "attacking stance" in Parliament on the Adani issue and thus Trinamool has been targeted. It is somewhat vindictive," Chattopadhyay said.


Senior MP and Trinamool Congress vice-president Saugata Roy said, "I will not speak on Mahua Moitra (issue). This is our stand." Finance minister (MoS) Chandrima Bhattacharya also refused to comment on the issue. However, Moitra was not deterred from commenting on the issue and furiously lashed out at the chairman of the Ethics Committee. She posted on her 'X' handle, "I welcome answering questions to the CBI and Ethics Committee (which has an absolute majority of BJP members) if and when they call me. I have neither time nor interest to feed an Adani-directed media circus trial or answer BJP trolls. I am enjoying Durga Puja in Nadia. Shubho Sashthi."

Moitra also hit out at Jai Anant Dehadrai, saying he is a "jilted ex with an acrimonious personal history with me who wanted to somehow get back at me".