New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said that the security staff had recovered a wad of Rs 500 notes from the seat allotted to Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, leading to an uproar in the House with ruling and Opposition benches trading allegations and angry words. “After adjournment of the House yesterday (Thursday), a wad of currency notes was apparently recovered by security officials from seat no 222 presently allotted to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, elected from the state of Telangana,” he said.
“It was my duty and I am obliged to inform the House. This is a routine anti-sabotage check which takes place,” he said. Dhankhar added that he was expecting someone would claim the currency notes, but no one has so far. “Does it reflect the state of the economy that people can afford to forget it,” he said.
The Chairman also said that the wad has Rs 500 notes and there appear to be Rs 100 notes. An investigation has been ordered in accordance with practice, Dhankhar said, adding that it was not clear if the currency notes were real or fake.
Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi, however, termed the recovery of cash from his seat as “bizarre” and demanded a probe into the matter. He clarified that he carries only one Rs 500 note when he goes to the Rajya Sabha. “I reached inside house at 12:57 pm yesterday (Thursday) and House rose at 1 pm; then I sat in canteen till 1:30 pm with Sh Ayodhya Rami Reddy then I left Parliament!” he said in a post on X.
While Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the Chairman should not have named the member without an investigation being completed, Leader of the House J.P. Nadda accused the Opposition of showing eagerness on “some issues” while wanting to cover up other issues.
As ruckus broke out, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju asked, “Why should there be an objection to the name being taken? Chairman has pointed out the seat number and the member who occupies that. What is the problem with that?”
Nadda said that the matter was serious and the Opposition and treasury benches should not be divided as it is an attack on the dignity of the House. Taking a jibe at the Opposition members, he said, “On some issues you show eagerness, while you want to cover-up other issues”. Kharge objected and retorted, “Why is Nadda saying we are trying to suppress the matter... You do that, we don’t do that”.
