On 15th October, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey leveled serious allegations of bribery against Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, based on details provided by advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai. In his complaints, Advocate Dehadrai alleged that Moitra was paid in cash and gifts for asking questions in Parliament that favored tycoon Darshan Hiranandani’s business interests.
OpIndia accessed a copy of the complaint filed by Adv Dehadrai that contained a list of items that Moitra allegedly got in exchange for asking questions in the Parliament. Upon research, here is what we found about the products and their costs.
The first item mentioned in the list was iPhones. In one of the recent photographs on Mahua Moitra’s Facebook page, she can be seen holding an iPhone resembling its 14 Pro model.
The phone is listed at a price of Rs 1,39,900 on Amazon.
The second item mentioned in the list is scarves from Hermes. While Hermes’ US website lists the scarves at USD 510 a piece, according to Luxepolis website, these are available in India at Rs 30,000 to Rs 38,000 a piece. Advocate Dehadrai did not mention the number of scarves.
The third item mentioned in the list was scarves from Louis Vuitton. The scarves by Louis Vuitton can vary anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 4,95,000 as per the company’s official website’s India store.
The next item on the list is 35 pairs of shoes from Salvatore Ferragamo. These shoes are available on multiple luxury brand websites, such as Fashiola. The price range of these shoes varies between Rs 70,000 to Rs 1,10,000. Considering the average price of Rs 80,000 per pair, the combined worth of the shoes alone would be Rs 28 lakhs.
The next item on the list was expensive wines from France and Italy that may cost anywhere between Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000 a bottle.
The next item on the list was Bags from Gucci. The bags from Gucci may cost up to Rs 2,00,000 easily in India.
Furthermore, Advocate Dehadrai claimed she received a crocodile leather bag from Berluti. The alligator leather bag by Berluti costs USD 14,500, that is over 12 lakhs Rs.
Moitra is known for carrying luxury items to the Parliament. She sparked controversy as she was caught on camera hiding her Louis Vuitton bag worth Rs 1.6 lakh during a price rise debate in parliament.
Apart from luxury items, Advocate Dehadrai claimed Moitra received regular packets of cash in Indian Rupees and Pound Sterling. He further claimed to have seen her counting 20,000 pounds sterling at her residence.
