Amid the ongoing “cash for query” controversy and war of words between BJP leaders and TMC MP Mahua Moitra, the latter has debunked the allegations made by Union Minister Nishikant Dubey.

Ms Moitra said that there has been no evidence by the BJP to back the ‘fake allegation”.

“First BJP said “Cash for Questions.” That failed since no evidence to back the fake allegation. Now it is “National Security”, said Mahua Moitra in a post on X.

Ms Moitra’s statement comes after Anurag Thakur launched a scathing attack on the TMC MP.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur said this is a matter of ‘national security’ and added that ‘an inquiry and appropriate action should be taken quickly’.

Amid the ongoing cash for query row, The TMC MP has been asked to depose before the Ethics Committee headed by BJP MP Vinod Sonkar to submit oral evidence in regard to the complaint filed against her by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.

The face-off between BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and TMC MP Mahua Moitra started when BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla making “cash for query” allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and demanding an inquiry committee against her.

He urged for her “immediate suspension” from the House alleging that “bribes were exchanged between her and businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament in exchange for cash and gifts”.

In his letter titled “Re-emergence of nasty ‘Cash for Query’ in Parliament”, Dubey has alleged “‘serious Breach of Privilege’, ‘Contempt of the House’ and a ‘Criminal Offence’ under Section 120A of IPC” by the Trinamool Congress MP.

The businessman, Darshan Hiranandani, responded in an affidavit.

In his 3-page signed affidavit, Darshan Hiranandani admitted to his close relationship with TMC MP Mahua Moitra and claimed that she had shared her Parliament login ID credentials with him.

“She drafted a few questions that she could raise in parliament that would have elements to embarrass the Govt and target the Adani group. She shared with me her email ID as MP, so I could send her information and she could raise the questions. I went along with her proposal” he claims in his affidavit.”

Darshan Hiranandani also claimed that he used the TMC MP’s login credentials to pose questions on the Adani group himself.

Responding to the affidavit, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, in a two-page statement, alleged that the businessman was forced to sign the “white paper.”

Aam Aadmi Party Senior leader and National spokesperson Reena Gupta attacked the Centre, alleging that the entire North India is struggling with air pollution, but it has no concrete action plan to control it.

Reena Gupta, in a press conference, said, “People in Northern India are suffering due to air pollution, but the Central Government lacks any action plan to control it. The surprising thing is that on October 24, the Central Government shut down that database. They closed the SAFAR website because we began raising our voices that 70 per cent of Delhi’s air pollution is coming from outside Delhi, most of which is from BJP-ruled states.”

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) is a national initiative introduced by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) to measure the air quality of a metropolitan city, by measuring the overall pollution level and the location-specific air quality of the city.

The system is indigenously developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and is operationalized by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The AAP National Spokesperson said, “Currently, only the Kejriwal government in Delhi is taking strong measures to reduce air pollution by implementing winter and summer action plans. As a result, Delhi’s air quality has seen a 30 per cent improvement in the last few years.”

Pointing out that 70 per cent of Delhi’s air pollution is coming from outside states, she said, “Data from the central government’s IMD department’s website reveals that 70 per cent of Delhi’s air pollution is coming from outside states. When they raised their voices about controlling pollution from outside states, the Central Government shut down that website.”

Expressing her concern over rising AQI levels in northern India, Reena Gupta said, “As the winter season comes, the air quality of the entire northern region of India deteriorates. Be it UP, Delhi, Punjab, Gurgaon, etc. Doctors will tell you that there is a sudden rise in the number of patients with asthma during the winter in northern India. As of 2019, 99.5 per cent of districts in India did not meet WHO’s air quality guidelines. This implies that 99 per cent of the people in the country are not breathing ‘healthy Air.’ This is a big emergency, and the Central Government should take appropriate measures concerning the health of Indians. To date, no plans have been announced by the PM and the Union Environment Minister.”

She emphasized that in the entire country, only Delhi’s CM Arvind Kejriwal is concerned about the people and their health. Each year Delhi’s CM Arvind Kejriwal announces the ‘Winter Action Plan’ and ‘Summer Action Plan’ to brief about measures to be taken by the Delhi Government to save common people from the deteriorating environment.

“In the list of 50 most polluted cities, 39 cities feature from India only. Among these 39, 20 most polluted cities are from UP but one would be shocked to know that the BJP-ruled UP government hasn’t ever mentioned ‘Air Quality.’ Only the Delhi government is working towards the air quality, and because of this, there’s been an improvement of 30 per cent in air quality,” she added.

Talking about the Supreme Court ruling and NGT order on Delhi pollution Reena Gupta said, “For the past 10 years, the Supreme Court has been telling the UP Government to find a solution to brick kilns because it cause a lot of air pollution. The Court also suggested using new technology, but the UP Government has not taken any steps in this regard. Even today, there are 2,000 brick kilns in the NCR that are operating with old technology. Among them, 150 kilns are in Ghaziabad, and 250 are in Muzaffarnagar. All the smoke from these kilns goes to Delhi. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered that all industries should use clean fuel, meaning use PNG. After this, all industries in Delhi are running on PNG, but nothing has been done in the NCR so far.”

Reena Gupta said that a high-level meeting of all the Environment Ministers of the northern states should be convened and the SAFAR website should be restarted.

“The Aam Aadmi Party has two demands. The first demand is that a high-level meeting of all the Environment Ministers of the northern states should be convened. The second demand is to reopen the SAFAR website because the public should know where the pollution is coming from and which government agencies are responsible.”

“The Central Government is only good at passing the buck; they don’t do any real work. Only the Delhi government is actively working to reduce pollution. The Kejriwal government has shut down power plants that were spreading pollution. They have implemented an electric vehicle policy to reduce pollution and encouraged industries to switch to PNG. However, unless all other state governments work similarly, pollution cannot be reduced,” the spokesperson concluded.

US President Joe Biden on Saturday expressed grief over the loss of lives in the gun violence incident in Maine, which killed 18 people and multiple injured.

Biden took to his social media ‘X’, and further expressed gratitude that Lewiston and surrounding communities are now safe, praising the law enforcement officers who worked round the clock to find the suspect.

“This was a tragic two days for the families in Maine who have been devastated by gun violence. At least eighteen souls were brutally slain and more were injured, and scores of family and friends prayed and experienced trauma no one ever wants to imagine. We’re grateful that Lewiston and surrounding communities are now safe. I thank the brave law enforcement officers who worked around the clock to find this suspect,” the post said.

This was a tragic two days for the families in Maine who have been devastated by gun violence.

At least eighteen souls brutally slain and more injured, and scores of family and friends praying and experiencing trauma no one ever wants to imagine.

We’re grateful that Lewiston…

— President Biden (@POTUS) October 28, 2023

In the trailing post, POTUS called on Republicans in Congress to fulfil their obligation to keep Americans safe.

“Americans should not have to live like this. I call on Republicans in Congress to fulfil their obligation to keep Americans safe. And I will continue doing everything in my power to end this gun violence epidemic. The Lewiston community, and all Americans, deserve nothing less,” he added.

Americans should not have to live like this. I call on Republicans in Congress to fulfill their obligation to keep Americans safe. And I will continue doing everything in my power to end this gun violence epidemic.

The Lewiston community, and all Americans, deserve nothing less.

— President Biden (@POTUS) October 28, 2023

However, Robert Card, the suspect in the Lewiston, Maine, shooting rampage, was found dead on Friday night, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Facebook, CNN reported.

He was found dead about 48 hours after the attack which left 18 dead and 13 wounded.

Maine Governor Janet Mills confirmed the news of the suspect’s death and emphasised that he “is no longer a threat to anyone.”

Jennifer Zanca, a survivor of the Lewiston shooting, stressed the urgent need for solutions to address gun violence in the nation. She told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “I don’t know where to go from here because this just keeps happening, and there needs to be some solutions.” Zanca highlighted the personal toll of such incidents and the importance of finding ways to prevent them.

The Lewiston, Maine, rampage stands as the deadliest mass shooting in the US this year and the deadliest since the Uvalde school massacre. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 566 mass shootings in the country this year, CNN reported.

Moreover, Maine Senator Susan Collins called the mass shooting in Lewiston a “dark day” for her state, CNN reported.