Chaos erupted in Rajya Sabha on Friday morning after a bundle of cash was discovered on the seat allotted to Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded a probe, the opposition said it was a conspiracy by the BJP.
Vice President and the chairman of Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar, informed the MPs that security officials yesterday found money during the anti sabotage check after the adjournment of the house.
“A wad of currency notes was recovered by the security officials from seat number 222 which is presently allotted to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, elected from the state of Telangana,” said Dhankhar.
The bundle of cash was reportedly recovered by the Parliament officials from seat 222, which is allotted to Abhishek Manu Singhvi. On reacting to the allegation, the Telangana Rajya Sabha MP said, “Never heard of it [the allegation] till now! I carry one Rs 500 note when I go to Rajya Sabha. This is the first time I have heard of it. I reached the House at 12:57 PM and the House rose at 1 PM. Then I sat in the canteen till 1:30 pm before leaving Parliament.”
“An Investigation will take place in accordance with the law.” He said that there is no allegation against anyone. The investigation will be carried out into how the bundle of notes came to be placed on the seat, said Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar
While the Congress raised objections to Abhishek Manu Singhvi being named, Kiren Rijiju responded, saying, “What is the Opposition’s objection if the Speaker identifies the member whose seat had the notes? It’s unacceptable to bring a large amount of cash into the House like this,” he remarked.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated that his party was not against an investigation. “JP Nadda [BJP president] claims we are trying to suppress the issue, but that is typical of your [BJP’s] approach,” he said. “When the Chairman is looking into the matter, it doesn’t need to be discussed on the floor of the House,” he added. However, Chairman Dhankhar clarified that he would not conduct the investigation himself, but would only direct that an investigation take place.
