Darshan Hiranandani's Sensational Revelations Against TMC MP Mahua Moitra
Controversial businessman Darshan Hiranandani has made big revelations against TMC MP Mahua Moitra. In a letter leaked to the press by sources close to Hiranandani, son of real-estate billionaire Niranjan Hiranandani, said Moitra was very ambitious and wanted to make a big name for herself by targeting PM Narendra Modi and Businessman Gautam Adani. Hiranandani claimed Moitra got help from the Indian and foreign media and even India's leading lawyer Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas.
Read the full letter here:
I, Darshan Hiranandani, holding Passport No. Z4976261, residing at Dubai Marina, Dubai state on solemn affirmation as follows:
1. I have come across a letter dated 14th October 2023 addressed by Sh. Jai Anant Dehadrai ("Sh. Dehadrai") to the Director, Central Bureau of Investigation. Similarly, I have also come across a letter of 14th October 2023, addressed by Sh. Dehadrai to Sh. Nishikant Dubey ("Shri Dubey"), Member of Parliament. In the days that followed, I have come across several reports by numerous news agencies on the contents of both the letters. All this has been forwarded to me by persons known to me as they have come across it on social media. As my name prominently figures in the letter, I have been closely watching and monitoring the developments on the issue raked up by the aforesaid letters.
2. It has come to my attention that Ms. Mahua Moitra ("Ms. Moitra") has commenced proceedings against Sh. Dehadrai and Sh. Dubey for defamation. Similarly, it has also come to my notice that the issues raised in the letters have been referred to the Ethics Committee of Parliament.
3. On a considered basis, I am making the present affidavit to place on record all relevant facts which are known to me and presently occur to me as relevant and relatable to the issues which are raised in the letters under reference.
4. I know Ms Moitra since I met her at Bengal Global Business Summit 2017, when she was a West Bengal, MLA and designated to engage with visiting industrialists at the summit.
In my interactions with her at the summit, I found her to be knowledgeable, expressive and outspoken. We exchanged contact details and remained in touch ever since. Over a period of time she has been a close personal friend of mine.
5. In the course of my interactions with her, I found her to be a bright intellectual and one of the public representatives that thoroughly understands both the economy and business matters. I believe she found me to be intelligent having many views on the other side of the political spectrum / ideological aisle and probably another reason for our close friendship.
6. On many an occasion in India, especially in Kolkata, Delhi or Mumbai, or overseas, we met socially. We used to communicate frequently on telephone, ranging from weekly to daily calls. We frequently met when I came to India or when she visited Dubai.
7. However, as our interactions grew over time, she started asking for odds and ends which involved my time. Once she asked you for something, it was always a drop everything and do it now for me approach. She was dominating by nature and assertive in her temperament. She would always say, it was always urgent and critical for her and would slowly take control of your time. It was a way of reeling in your interest and in some way controlling some of your actions.
8. She became a Lok Sabha MP from Krishnanagar, West Bengal in May 2019. It was an important victory for her and one she was determined to use to further her personal career. She told me that she was offered a Rajya Sabha seat twice which she refused because she only wanted to come to Parliament from the Lok Sabha. Consequently, she was allotted 9B Telegraph Lane as her official Member of Parliament residence. This victory was transformational. It catapulted her to a national stage. It enabled her to know and be known by the most influential people domestically and globally. On numerous occasions, I hosted her, along with other friends, or joined her for lunch or dinner or attended social events where she was also present.
9. Ms. Mahua Moitra was very ambitious and wanted to quickly make a name for herself at the national level. She was advised by her friends and advisors that the shortest possible route to fame is by personally attacking Shri Narendra Modi, the honourable Prime Minister of India. The only problem was that Sh. Modi enjoyed an impeccable reputation and was not giving any opportunity to anyone to attack him in policy, governance or personal conduct. As was her wont, she thought that the only way to attack Sh. Modi is by attacking Sh. Gautam Adani and his group as both were contemporaries, and they belong to the same state of Gujarat. She was helped by the fact that the rise of Sh. Gautam Adani had created jealousy and detractors among some sections of businesses, politics and media, both within and outside the country. So she expected support from these sections in her endeavour to malign and embarrass the Prime Minister by targeting Sh. Adani. She knew that Indian Oil Corporation preferring to get into a long term off-take agreement with Dhamra LNG, a joint venture company of the Adani group, and not with my companies. Based on this information, Ms. Moitra drafted a few questions that would have elements to embarrass the Government by targeting the Adani group; questions that she could raise in Parliament. She shared with me her email ID as Member of Parliament, so that I could send her information, and she could raise the questions in the Parliament. I went along with her proposal.
10. She was delighted at the response she received from the first set of questions that I had sent her relating to the Adani group. She told me that she was particularly happy with the response and support she got from the Opposition members and certain sections of media. She therefore requested me to keep supporting her in her attacks on the Adani group and provided me her Parliament login and password so that I could post the questions directly on her behalf when required.
11. Ms Moitra, in her endeavour, was getting help from other people like Sucheta Dalal, Shardul Shroff and Pallavi Shroff, who were also in touch with her, and who were feeding her with all kinds of unverified information relating to Sh. Gautam Adani and his companies. Clearly, there were others who were also assisting her in this targeted attack. She had interactions with many Congress leaders, including Sh. Rahul Gandhi, on matters relating to Adani companies. She also had frequent interactions with international journalists from the Financial Times, the New York Times, the BBC and also with several Indian publications. She also received unverified details from several sources, including some claiming to be former Adani group employees. Certain information was shared with me, based on which I continued to draft and post questions using her Parliamentary login whenever needed.
12. Over a period, my friendship with Ms Mahua Moitra grew. I also felt that, through her, I would get support in other States ruled by the Opposition, because she bonded extremely well with other leaders of the Opposition like Sh. Gandhi, Sh. Shashi Tharoor and Sh. Pinaki Mishra, with whom also she shared close relations. Importantly, she also made frequent demands of me and kept asking me for various favours, which I had to fulfil in order to remain in close proximity with her and get her support. The demands that were made and favours that were asked included, gifting her expensive luxury items, providing support on renovation of her officially allotted bungalow in Delhi, travel expenses, holidays, etc, apart from providing secretarial and logistical help for her travels within India and to different parts of the world. I could ill-afford to displease her. Many times I felt that she was taking undue advantage of me and pressurising me to do things I didn't want to, but I had no choice, because of the aforementioned reasons.
Since this matter involves me directly and has snowballed into a political controversy with the Parliamentary Privilege Committee and the judiciary also now seized of the matter, I consider it incumbent upon me to state the facts, in public interest, through this sworn affidavit.
