NEW DELHI: Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Friday responded to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar’s charge of “wad of currency notes” being found at his seat, and clarified that he only carries a single Rs 500 note to the Upper House.
“Heard of it first time now. Never heard of it till now! I carry one Rs 500 note when I go to RS. First time heard of it. I reached inside house at 1257 pm yday and house rose at 1 pm; then I sat in canteen till 130 pm with Sh Ayodhya Rami Reddy then I left parliament!” Singhvi said in a post on X.
On Friday, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar disclosed that security staff recovered currency notes from seat number 222, allocated to Singhvi, following Thursday’s House session. The revelation sparked opposition protests, with Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge objecting to naming the member before completing the investigation.
“I request that until the investigation is done and the authenticity of the incident is established, a member should not be named,” Kharge said.
Dhankhar elaborated that the recovered amount appeared to be 100 notes of Rs 500 denomination, though their authenticity remained uncertain. He stated that an investigation had been initiated, as per standard practice, and expressed surprise that no one had claimed the money.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the Chairman’s decision to name the member, stating there was nothing inappropriate about mentioning the seat number and its occupant. Rijiju further called for a thorough investigation while noting that bringing currency bundles into the House was unsuitable.
“As per the routine protocol, the anti-sabotage team checked the seats just to wind up the proceedings and the house. During that procedure, the note was found and the seat numbers were deciphered and the members also signed that day. I don’t understand why there should be an objection that the Chair should not take the name of the member. The Chairman has rightly pointed out the seat number and the member who occupies that particular seat number. What is wrong with that? Why there should be an objection?” Rijiju asked.
“Don’t you think that while we are going towards digital India, carrying a bundle of notes in the House is appropriate? We don’t carry note bundles in the house. I fully agree with the observation of the Chairman that there must be a serious investigation and the concerns raised by the members are also very genuine,” he added.
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