TMC MP Mahua Moitra jabs CBI over probe into alleged Hiranandani ties

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra, representing West Bengal's Krishnanagar constituency, criticized the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a social media post on Monday, mocking the agency's investigation into alleged ties between her and Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani. "CBI looking very hard for my Hermes scarf and Bobbi Brown makeup," she quipped, adding that she expected to be summoned by the agency sometime next week. Moitra said she was eager to share all the details about how Gautam Adani and his lawyers supposedly set up a "fake case" against her.

Moitra's comments come as opposition parties ramp up their efforts to hold the Modi government accountable for alleged corruption, especially concerning the 'Adani indictment' issue during the ongoing winter session of Parliament. She also reposted a tweet from January 2023, in which she criticized Adani's tactics to intimidate whistleblowers, linking them to allegations of corruption involving TotalEnergies.

In March of this year, the CBI raided Mahua Moitra’s residence in South Kolkata as part of its investigation into a "cash-for-query" scandal. During the search, it was revealed that Hiranandani had gifted Moitra a Hermès scarf and Bobbi Brown makeup kits in 2018. Additionally, it was reported that Moitra had shared her login credentials with him without authorization.

In response to Moitra's remarks, French oil giant TotalEnergies announced on Monday that it had halted all new investments in the Adani Group. The company stated it had not been informed of any investigation into alleged corruption within the Adani Group.

These developments come amid mounting scrutiny of the Adani Group's business practices and its connections with politicians and officials, both in India and internationally.