'Ceasefire' till Dussehra on October 24: Nishikant Dubey

New Delhi: After persistently targeting Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra over "cash for query" allegations, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Sunday said he will be observing a "ceasefire till Dussehra on October 24".

Dubey is scheduled to appear before the Lok Sabha's Ethics Committee on October 26 to record his statement in connection with his allegations against Moitra that she had accepted favours from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in Parliament Moitra has been dismissive of his charges and has claimed that the BJP has been targeting her at the behest of the Adani Group, which has been at the receiving end of her attack in and outside Parliament.

"Due to the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja, I invoke ceasefire from my side from ashtami today to Dashmi on October 24," Dubey said on X, a day after taking his complaint of corruption against her to Lokpal.

दुर्गा पूजा के पावन त्योहार के कारण आज अष्टमी से लेकर 24 अक्टूबर यानि दशमी तक मेरे तरफ़ से युद्ध विराम

— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) October 22, 2023

After the allegations by Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, Moitra filed a plea in the Delhi High Court, accusing the BJP MP of defamation.

Dubey's complaint has been referred to Parliament's Ethics Committee by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of real estate-to-energy group Hiranandani, recently claimed in a signed affidavit that she targeted Gautam Adani to "malign and embarrass Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose impeccable reputation gave opposition no opportunity to attack him".

Moitra, however, raised questions over the credibility of Hiranandani's affidavit, alleging that it was "drafted by the PMO" and he was forced to sign it after being "threatened" with a "total shutdown" of his family's businesses.

The Trinamool Congress on Sunday said the party will take a decision on the matter after the parliamentary ethics committee completes its probe.