A wad of currency notes found near the seat allotted to Congress leader and eminent lawyer Abhishek Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha rocked the Upper House on Friday, with the Opposition, and ruling alliance Member of Parliament trading charges and the Congress Member of Parliament demanding a probe into the ‘security lapse’.
An investigation has been ordered in accordance with practice by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar. “It was my duty and I’m obliged to inform the House. This is a routine anti-sabotage check which takes place,” Dhankar 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 posed.
Soon after the official papers were laid on the table in the morning, Dhankhar said 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.
While Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said the Chairman should not have named the member without an investigation being completed, Leader of the House JP Nadda accused the Opposition of showing eagerness on “some issues” while wanting to cover up other issues.
Singhvi Friday termed the “recovery” of cash from his seat in the Rajya Sabha “bizarre” and demanded a probe into what he described as a “security lapse”. He also suggested that glass enclosures should be made to prevent anyone from planting “ganja” on seats in an MP’s absence.
The currency notes were recovered from seat number 222, which is allotted to Singhvi, during an anti-sabotage check on Thursday, Dhankhar said. “After the adjournment of the House yesterday, 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,” said the RS Presiding officer.
As a ruckus broke out, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asked, “Why should there be an objection to the name being taken? The 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 a serious investigation into the matter.
According to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Union Minister JP Nadda, 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. He also suggested that the Rajya Sabha should pass a resolution stating the proceedings of the House should never be disrupted.
Taking a jibe at opposition members, Nadda said, “On some issues, you show eagerness, while you want to cover up other issues” to which Kharge objected, saying, “Why is Mr Nadda saying we are trying to suppress the matter... You do that, we don’t do that.”
As the controversy spiralled, Singhvi termed the incident bizarre and added that politics on issues such as this showed the system in a bad light and “demeans our level”. The Congress MP clarified that he carries only one Rs 500 note when he goes to the Rajya Sabha.
“I reached inside the House at 12.57 pm yesterday and the House rose at 1 pm; then I sat in the canteen till 1.30 pm with Ayodhya Rami Reddy then, I left Parliament!” he said in a social media post. “I feel there should be a glass cabin for every seat in Parliament. This will allow an MP to lock his seat before leaving for home and no person can keep anything like ‘ganja’.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who was in Chair post lunch session, sought to pacify the members of the ruling party and urged them to sit down and allow the House to function. As unrelenting BJP members continued to raise slogans, he adjourned the House for the day.