Mahua Moitra says she gave Darshan Hiranandani access to her Lok Sabha account, denies taking money

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Friday said that the only things she had received from Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of the Hiranandani Group, as gifts were "one scarf, some lipsticks, and other makeup items including eye shadow" but she admitted to letting him use her Lok Sabha login credentials to post questions that she claimed were hers. She denied allegations of taking bribes from Mr Hiranandani and demanded that she be given the chance to cross-examine him, in an interview to India Today.

Her remarks come amid allegations that she received gifts from Mr Hiranandani in exchange for asking questions in Parliament. The Ethics committee of the parliament has summoned her to present her defence on October 31 but Ms Moitra has requested more time due to "pre-committed programmes" in her constituency Krishnanagar.

Most members of the Ethics committee have said the charges against Ms Moitra are serious in nature and amount to a breach of parliamentary privilege. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and Delhi-based lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai have already recorded their statements and presented evidence against the Trinamool MP.