00:00 Namaskar! Welcome to another episode of Editorial.
00:05 Mahua Maitra has been on news for the last two days.
00:10 Not necessarily for the right reasons, I would say.
00:13 But the point is, what exactly has Mahua Maitra done?
00:18 What's her crime?
00:20 Let's try and understand this.
00:22 Let's try and cut the clutter.
00:24 Though cutting the clutter is not my job, but all the same, let us try and simplify
00:29 this and as always, let us try and understand this from a layman's point of view as to what
00:35 exactly has she done wrong.
00:37 Thik hai na?
00:38 Let's get right to the show.
00:43 Okay, so Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey had written a letter to the Speaker
00:53 of the Lok Sabha, that is Mr. Om Birla in Lok Sabha on the 15th of October.
01:00 What did he say?
01:01 He alleged actually that Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Maitra is making cash for quarry.
01:11 And he said that, you know, he demanded that there should be an inquiry committee put against
01:17 her.
01:18 So this is what he said.
01:19 He urged for an immediate suspension from the house and alleged that bribes were exchanged
01:25 between her and businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in the parliament in exchange
01:32 for cash and gifts.
01:35 Thik hai na?
01:37 Okay.
01:38 Now, he said there are irrefutable evidences of bribe allegedly exchanged between Mahua
01:44 Maitra and Darshan Hiranandani, a well-known business tycoon to ask questions in the parliament
01:51 in exchange for cash and gifts.
01:54 Srimati Mahua Maitra asked approximately 50 questions in parliament out of total 61 posted
02:01 by her, which shockingly seeked information with the intent of protecting or perpetuating
02:09 business interest of Shri Darshan Hiranandani and his company.
02:14 Toh ab tak story clear hai.
02:17 Ab tak story is Mr. Dubey MP, Bharatiya Janata Party said, Baba, this MP from Trinamool Congress
02:24 Mahua Maitra has taken money.
02:26 Why?
02:27 He has taken money to ask questions.
02:28 Okay.
02:29 So this is what he said.
02:30 Now, let us go further.
02:32 He went on to say that now with the unmasking of the quid pro quo in the form of ugly and
02:39 deliberate motive of Srimati Mahua Maitra to raise money from a businessman in lieu
02:44 of asking the questions in Lok Sabha, targeting an other business group, it has become amply
02:51 clear that the edifice of morality has been exhibited by Srimati Mahua Maitra was nothing
03:00 but a Machiavellian camouflage for committing a crime by entering into criminal conspiracy
03:08 and at the same time enjoying given the title of Srimati Mahua Maitra.
03:14 A firebrand member of parliament, which is nothing but a sham said the letter.
03:21 Whose letter?
03:22 Nishikant Dubey's letter.
03:24 So all this he said.
03:25 All this he said.
03:26 So, the allegation now, coming back, allegation now is Mahua Maitra took money and asked questions.
03:33 It is not the first time.
03:37 It has happened before also.
03:38 There is an incident in 2005, December 12th, during the 14th Lok Sabha and the then speaker
03:45 immediately constituted an inquiry committee on the 12th of December 2005 and subsequently
03:50 10 members were expelled from the membership of Lok Sabha on December 23rd in 23 days.
03:58 This was 2005.
03:59 Aisa hua tha.
04:01 Okay, so this is where it stands.
04:02 Now the characters here are Mahua Maitra, Darshan Hiranandani and Mr. Nishikant Dubey.
04:09 So three characters.
04:11 Now Hiranandani, that is Darshan Hiranandani, all of a sudden gave an affidavit, which changed
04:19 the entire thing till now.
04:20 Hiranandani is saying, we don't know about all this.
04:24 But then Darshan Hiranandani all of a sudden gave an affidavit.
04:28 In his affidavit, he said 10 stunning things.
04:31 10 stunning things he said.
04:34 Number one, he said, Mahua Maitra wanted to quickly make a name for herself at a national
04:40 level which she was advised by her friends and advisor that the shortest possible route
04:45 to fame is personally attacking Mr. Modi.
04:48 This was the first thing he said.
04:51 Second thing he said, Ms. Maitra thought that the only way to attack PM Modi is by attacking
04:57 Gautam Adani as both were contemporaries and they belong to the same state, that is Gujarat.
05:03 Number three, he said, she drafted a few questions which have elements of embarrassment for the
05:10 government by targeting Adani group.
05:12 Fourth, he said, she shared with me her email ID.
05:16 This is important.
05:17 Hear this out.
05:18 She shared with me her email ID as a member of parliament so that I could send her information
05:25 and she could raise question in the parliament.
05:28 She later provided me her parliament login and password so that I could post the question
05:35 directly.
05:36 This is important.
05:37 Now the second allegation happened.
05:40 First allegation is she took money for questioning.
05:44 Second allegation is she said, you gave my parliament, she gave Mr. Darshan Hiranandani
05:51 her parliament login and ID.
05:52 Okay, this is the second allegation.
05:54 Let us go further.
05:56 There were others who are also assisting her in this targeted attack and she has interacted
06:02 with many Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi on matter relating to Adani companies.
06:09 She also has frequent interaction with international journalists of the Financial Times, the New
06:14 York Times, the BBC and also with several Indian publications.
06:17 Seventh, she also received unverified details from several sources including some claiming
06:25 to be former Adani group employees.
06:28 Certain information was shared with me based on which I continued to post questions using
06:32 her parliamentary logins.
06:34 Okay, point number eight, I felt that through her I would get support in other states ruled
06:42 by the opposition because she bonded extremely well with other leaders of the opposition
06:48 like Mr. Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and Pinaki Mishra.
06:51 Ninth, she made frequent demands from me and kept asking me for various favours.
06:56 This included gifting her expensive luxury items, providing support on the renovation
07:02 of her officially allotted bungalow in Delhi, travel expenses, holidays etc.
07:07 Tenth, last many a times I felt that she was taking undue advantage of me and pressurizing
07:13 me to do things I didn't want to do.
07:15 But I had no choice because of the aforementioned reason.
07:19 Okay, this is the allegation that Mr. Hiranandani made.
07:24 Okay, so apna story more or less clear hai.
07:27 Baaki sab there are lot about a dog and a cat and all that.
07:29 I don't want to get into all that dog cat story.
07:32 So let us get, this is the problem.
07:33 Problem number one, that she took money to ask questions.
07:36 Problem number two, she took money from this Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions.
07:41 Problem number three, she gave login ID and password for her parliamentary account to
07:46 Mr. Darshan Hiranandani.
07:48 These are three problems.
07:50 Okay.
07:51 Galat hai, wrong.
07:53 If she has taken money to ask questions, wrong.
07:55 Teek hai, correct hai.
07:57 Giving ID password, absolutely wrong.
08:00 Absolutely wrong.
08:01 Are you won't even give your ID password of your office to a stranger, to another person,
08:07 let alone giving your ID password of the Lok Sabha.
08:11 Bapre, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
08:13 Very wrong.
08:14 Teek hai, chalo.
08:15 This is okay.
08:16 But there are few things I don't understand.
08:19 Few things I don't understand.
08:21 What I don't understand is, till now I don't understand what questions she asked that could
08:26 help some major company or some major conglomerate or this Hiranandani and all.
08:32 What questions she asked, I don't know.
08:33 The question she asked was to the Prime Minister, which is her job.
08:39 Opposition MP, a lot of opposition MP must have forgotten this by the way.
08:42 But technically speaking, you see, opposition MP's job is to ask the government questions
08:47 she was asking.
08:49 She had some difference of opinion by the way, in the way Adani functioned and in the
08:55 way Adani was allowed to function.
08:58 She asked the Prime Minister question, why are you allowing this company to function
09:01 the way it is supposed to function?
09:04 What is wrong in that?
09:05 Acha, she took assistance from Rahul Gandhi, she took assistance from Shashi Tharoor.
09:11 So?
09:12 Are?
09:13 So what?
09:14 If she had took assistance from Rahul Gandhi, she took assistance from Shashi Tharoor, she
09:19 should take assistance from Udda Thakre also, if he knows something.
09:22 What is wrong in that?
09:24 What is wrong in that?
09:25 She took.
09:26 So that's fine, isn't it?
09:27 Then this Mr. Hiranandani says, I had to give expensive gifts.
09:32 I was forced to for aforementioned reason.
09:35 Why would a Hiranandani get scared of a Moumua Moitra?
09:43 Why would somebody get scared of a Moumua Moitra?
09:46 I don't think even people in Calcutta get scared of Moumua Moitra.
09:49 Why would somebody sitting in Dubai, this gentleman sits in Dubai, get scared of Moumua
09:53 Moitra and therefore, you know, give her gifts and cash and all that.
09:57 He must have given if he has written.
09:58 I don't know whether he has given or not, but these are the questions I have.
10:02 And think about it.
10:03 As a layman, this is what comes to my mind.
10:05 First of all, I, like I told you, never understood that what did she do that was against the
10:12 country or against the, what the questions she asked.
10:15 If she has taken money for that, even the question is right, that is wrong.
10:19 That is completely wrong.
10:20 That is unethical, that is criminal and I am sure she will face the consequences.
10:25 She has given her login ID and all that.
10:28 Very, very wrong.
10:29 She will face the consequences for that.
10:31 But other than that, I really don't understand what questions she asked, which really made
10:35 such a big UN crime.
10:37 And is this a crime?
10:40 Asking questions about Adani to Mr. Narendra Modi.
10:47 Now I go a little back.
10:50 What I am asking is, you know Prananjay Guha Thakurta?
10:55 Prananjay Guha Thakurta asked questions about Adani.
11:00 He was called to one court.
11:04 He was now interrogated for two days by Delhi police and all of that.
11:09 So that is happening.
11:11 Rahul Gandhi asked questions about Modi and asked questions about Adani and Narendra Modi.
11:19 He was almost going to get arrested.
11:23 His membership in Lok Sabha got suspended.
11:28 His house was taken away from him.
11:31 That happened.
11:32 Sanjay Singh asked questions about Adani and Modi.
11:36 He is behind bars.
11:37 He is behind bars.
11:39 Like most of the AAP people.
11:41 Like I told you, AAP can have a national conference inside the prison.
11:44 They all can sit together.
11:46 They can do a national conference there.
11:48 So that also happened.
11:49 So the question is, while all this is right and I am not saying, if Moua Mohitra has done
11:55 this, I am not saying this is right, absolutely wrong.
11:57 But the point is, my question is, how come every time you question Mr. Adani and Mr.
12:06 Narendra Modi, something goes wrong for you.
12:10 Something happens.
12:11 Something bad happens to you.
12:13 This point I didn't understand.
12:15 This point I need to get clarity on.
12:18 That said, I repeat, I repeat, if, even if the questions were right, even if the questions
12:26 were logical, even if the questions were something that an opposition member, opposition leader
12:31 should be asking the government, even if those questions were right and logical and relevant,
12:37 if you have taken money for that question, is it wrong?
12:39 It is wrong.
12:40 So to that extent, I agree.
12:42 And the fact that you give your login IDs and all that to a stranger, an outsider, absolutely
12:47 wrong.
12:48 So that is my tutorial tonight.
12:49 Till I see you next time, that is on Monday at 10pm.
12:54 Namaskar.
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