TMC MP Mahua Moitra targeted Adani to malign Modi: Darshan Hiranandani
New Delhi, (PTI): Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of real estate-to-energy group Hiranandani, who allegedly paid TMC MP Mahua Moitra to raise questions in Parliament about Adani Group, on Thursday said the TMC leader targeted Gautam Adani to "malign and embrass" Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose impeccable reputation gave opposition no opportunity to attack him.
In a signed affidavit, a copy of which was reviewed by PTI, Hiranandani admitted at using Moitra's Parliamentary login to ask questions targeting Adani after state-owned behemoth Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) booked capacity at the Gujarat-based conglomerate's Dhamra LNG import facility in Odisha and not at his firm's planned facility.
Moitra, he claimed, "made frequent demands" including "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."
Earlier this week, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and Moitra's estranged partner and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai alleged the Moitra took favours from Hiranandani to raise questions in Parliament. She responded by filing a defamation suit before the Delhi High Court against them.
Meanwhile, Dubey's complaint has been referred by the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to Parliament's Ethics Committee.
Hiranandani, who had this week reposted news about Adani group starting port operations in Kerala on X, couldn't be reached for comments. Once the affidavit became public, he deleted his account on X.
Moitra could not be immediately reached for comments.
Having met Moitra at Bengal Global Business Summit in 2017 when she was a MLA, Hiranandani said she became a "close personal friend" over the years whom he had expected to use for getting business in states ruled by opposition parties.
"Moitra was very ambitious and wanted to make a name for herself at the national level," he said of her winning the Lok Sabha election from Krishnanagar in West Bengal in 2019. "She was advised by her friends and advisors that the shortest possible route to fame is by personally attacking Modi."
However, the prime minister enjoyed "an impeccable reputation and was not giving any opportunity to anyone to attack him in policy, governance or personal conduct," he said. "As was her wont, she thought that the only way to attack Modi is by attacking 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 Adani had caused jealousy and had detractors among some sections of business, politics and media. "So, she expected support from these sections in her endeavour to malign and embarrass the Prime Minister by targeting Adani," he said.
Hiranandani said she knew about IOC choosing Dhamra over his company's LNG terminal. "Based on this information, 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," he claimed.
Delighted at the response she received for the first set of questions he had sent to her relating to the Adani group, he said Moitra "requested" him to keep supporting her in her attacks on the Adani group. She "provided me with her Parliament login and password so that I could post the questions directly on her behalf when required."
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
