Dec 06, 2024 07:04 PM IST
Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi calls for an inquiry after currency notes were found on his seat in the Rajya Sabha.
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought a probe after a wad of currency notes were recovered from the seat allotted to him in the Rajya Sabha. Calling it a security lapse, the MP said that it should be probed how the money ended up on the seat.
“About an hour ago, I heard this rather humorous news. I think there should be a rule to create a glass box that fully encloses the seat, secured with a lock and key. MPs should lock their seats before leaving, whether during the day or at night,” he told news agency ANI.
“Yesterday, I came to the House for three minutes at 12:57 PM, had lunch with Ayodhya Reddy in the canteen, and then left for court. If this situation weren’t so serious, it would be laughable. Politicising every issue and engaging in baseless accusations only tarnishes the image of our entire system,” he added.
Abhishek Singhvi also suggested putting up a barbed wire fence or glass enclosure to ensure that a third person cannot place something on the seat when the MP is away.
“There should be barbed wire fencing or a lockable glass enclosure for seats because anyone could place ganja or money on a seat when the MP is away. The security lapse should be thoroughly investigated, and it must be determined who placed the money, whether intentionally or by mistake,” the Congress leader said.
Uproar after notes found on Rajya Sabha seat
The row started when Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday announced that an anti-sabotage team had recovered a wad of currency notes in the upper House of Parliament from seat number 222. The seat is allotted to Congress member Abhishek Singhvi. Dhankhar said the matter was under investigation and he does not know whether the currency is fake or real.
The Rajya Sabha MP did not give the details about the amount of cash recovered but said apparently 100 notes of ₹500 denomination were found.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi said he only carries one ₹500 currency note when inside Parliament.
“Heard of it first time now. Never heard of it till now! I carry one ₹500 note when I go to Rajya Sabha. First time heard of it. I reached inside the House at 12:57 pm and the House rose at 1 pm. Then I sat in canteen till 1:30 pm then I left Parliament,” Singh said in a post on X soon after the charges cropped up.
“My total stay in the House yesterday was for three minutes and in Parliament for 30 minutes. I find it bizarre that even such issues are made political. Of course, there should be an enquiry as to how people can come and put anything anywhere on any seat,” Singhvi later told reporters.
Congress party sources have alleged that the recovery of currency notes from Singhvi’s seat is a “ploy to divert attention” from the Adani issue.
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