Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 6: Chaos erupted in the Rajya Sabha on Friday morning after a bundle of currency notes of Rs 500 denomination was found on the seat allotted to Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who strongly reacted to the insinuation giving a blow-by-blow account of his time in the House the previous day.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, also the chairman of Rajya Sabha, informed the MPs that security officials found the cash during the routine anti-sabotage check after the adjournment of the House on Thursday. “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 Mr Dhankhar, adding that the matter was being probed.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day after Deputy Chairman Harivansh tried to pacify agitated members of treasury benches. A high-level investigation has been ordered after the recovery of the cash. The high-level committee that will oversee the probe will include officials from security agencies, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, and senior MPs.
Mr Dhankhar told the House that the cash bundle – of ₹ 500 notes amounting to a total of ₹ 50,000 – was found after the House was adjourned last evening. Mr Singhvi has clarified that he had never heard of such a thing, suggesting that bundle wasn’t his. To find out how the cash bundle arrived there, CCTV footage from cameras installed in the House are being reviewed.
The discovery came during an anti-sabotage check Thursday, after which the Rajya Sabha Secretariat was informed and was placed at the ‘lost and found’ counter. Mr Dhankhar was then informed.
“I hereby inform the members that during the routine anti-sabotage check of the chamber after the adjournment of the House yesterday. Apparently, a wad of currency notes was recovered by the security officials from seat number 222 presently allotted to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, elected from the state of Telangana,” Mr Dhankhar informed the MPs when the House resumed this morning.
Security officials carry out anti-sabotage checks every day after parliamentary sessions, during which items left behind by MPs are often found. These items are then deposited at the ‘lost and found’ counter at the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
Mr Dhankhar’s statement sparked uproar from both treasury and opposition benches, after which Mr Singhvi gave an account of how he spent the day at the parliament.
“Heard of it first time now. Never heard of it till now! I carry one 500 rs note when I go to RS. First time heard of it. I reached inside house at 12:57 pm and house rose at 1 pm then I sat in canteen till 1:30 pm then I left parl (sic),” the Congress leader said in an online post.
Stating that he had spent just three minutes in the House yesterday, and another 30 minutes in the canteen, he expressed surprise that anyone could leave anything on the seats in the Parliament. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, formerly with the Congress, backed the calls for a probe. “The opposition is demanding an investigation. Whether you get the FBI, or take the help of the Interpol. There is 24-hour CCTV coverage of the entire premise – all of these must be probed. Today it is cash, tomorrow they may try to imply something else on the opposition voices,” she said.
The Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said he had no objection to the probe, but the Chair should not have named the MP since a probe was underway. “Of course, there must be an inquiry. How can people come and put anything anywhere in any seat. It means that each of us must have a seat where the seat itself can be locked and the key can be carried home by the MP because everybody can then do things on the seat and make allegations about this,” said Mr Singhvi.
“If it was not tragic and serious it would be comic. Everyone should cooperate to get to the bottom of this. And, if there is a failing on the part of security agencies, that must also be completely exposed,” Mr Singhvi said. Addressing reporters outside Parliament, his party colleague and Lok Sabha MP Imran Masood alleged that the government was trying to distract attention from the Adani issue.
“They are talking about wads of notes to distract attention from the Adani issue. They are in government, they should conduct a probe. Abhishek Manu Singhvi is an eminent lawyer, why would he do such a petty thing,” Mr Masood said. “They are running away from debate on the Adani issue,” he said.
BJP Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari said he was “shocked” by the incident. “This is a temple of democracy, money being recovered from the seat of a Congress leader… It should be investigated,” Tiwari told reporters. “You find money from their seat, and also from their homes… Where does so much black money come from needs to be investigated,” he said.
The matter sparked uproar from both the treasury and opposition benches with BJP chief JP Nadda, Union minister and a Rajya Sabha member, terming it an “insult” to the Rajya Sabha’s integrity. The BJP’s Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Chairman was waiting for someone to claim the money, but when no one raised it, he put the matter on the floor of the House.
“Rather than claiming or clarifying, they have started opposing. It means they have so much money they don’t bother how much notes are left here and there. It maybe because there are several corruption allegations on the Congress,” he said.
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?” He said carrying bundles of notes in the House is not appropriate and agreed that there should be serious investigation into the matter.
Mr Dhankhar added that the anti-sabotage check was done in view of the security challenges. “I have been careful that anti-sabotage checks must be very severe because in these highly technological situations where chemicals are used, the first and foremost is security… From that perspective it was done,” he said.
According to Mr Nadda, the matter was serious and the opposition and treasury benches should not be divided as it was an attack on the dignity of the House. Taking a jibe at opposition members, he said, “On some issues you show eagerness, while you want to cover-up other issues.” Mr Kharge objected and retorted, “Why is Mr Nadda saying we are trying to suppress the matter… You do that, we don’t do that.” Union Minister Piyush Goyal also said it was a serious issue. “…we don’t know what else may be found on that side,” he said.
Without taking any names, Mr Goyal accused the opposition of stalling Parliament over ‘fake narratives.” “We have been seeing session after session, on fake narratives, fake views… the Leader of Opposition and the leaders of the immoral alliance have stalled the House,” Mr Goyal said in an apparent reference to the Congress demand for joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe bribery allegations against industrialist Gautam Adani.
“They base their narrative on foreign reports, and stall the House. Is there a conspiracy in this as well? People will have to worry about the kind of give and take that happens to forward the fake narrative,” he said. Mr Dhankhar then observed that while the Leader of Opposition has objected to a matter under investigation being debated, Mr Goyal has suggested it should be made a general rule.
Mr Nadda suggested that the House should pass a resolution saying the proceedings of the House should never be disrupted.
