NEW DELHI, May 23 (PTI): A complaint has been lodged with the Election Commission against TMC Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra for allegedly filing false election affidavits and tax evasion.
The complainant, who claims to be a “public-spirited’ person has written to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar seeking action against the Krishnanagar MP.
Shravan Kumar Yadav has also marked his complaint to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and the Central Board of Direct Taxes.
Yadav has claimed he has come across “certain material irregularities and illegalities committed” by Moitra.
“The election affidavit, particularly Form 26, filed by Moitra reveals that she has mentioned ‘nil’ against the category ‘details of investment in bonds, debentures/shares and units in companies/mutual funds and others and the amount’ — she has disclosed in her affidavit that she has not made any investment in shares,” the complaint said.
He claimed it has come to his notice that Moitra is a shareholder in a company named ‘Villerville Financial Advisors Private Limited’ and held 4900 shares (49 per cent) shareholding in the company from 2010 onwards.
“The aforesaid shareholding in the name of Ms Moitra was disclosed by the Company Villerville Financial Advisors Private Limited in their annual returns from 2010 to 2022. The said willful and deliberate non-disclosure of her investments in the election affidavit is a material illegality and the same needs to be inquired into,” the letter said.
Moitra’s reaction to the complaint was not immediately available.
Yadav has also alleged non-disclosure of the social media accounts in the election affidavit filed in 2019.
“Ms Mahua Moitra has only provided a single social media account in her election affidavit of 2019 … However, she has failed to disclose her Twitter Account … which she has been using since 2011. Furthermore, she has also failed to disclose her Instagram account in her election affidavit in the year 2019,” he alleged.
He further alleged “material irregularities” in her election expenditure for the year 2019.
“Moreover, the addresses of the donors were not provided in the said affidavit in complete violation of the Election Commission extant instructions in this regard,” he wrote.
“It is also stated that submitting false election expenditures may result into issuance of notice by the Election Commission for default and it may declare (the person) to be disqualified and any such person shall be disqualified for a period of three years from the date of the order,” Yadav observed.
Referring to alleged income tax evasion, he claimed the TMC MP had disclosed her income below Rs 10 lakh in the affidavit filed in the 2019 general elections. “The disclosed income is around Rs 85,000 per month and the same is not commensurate with the expenditures and lifestyle which Ms Moitra is leading,” he claimed.
“Moreover, Ms Moitra has claimed a total expenditure of Rs 55,59,371 in the Annexure E2 of the expenditure affidavit, however, she has provided details for only Rs 43,99,825. The differential amount is also liable to be taxed as her own income as the same are unexplained expenses from her account,” the complaint read.
