Cash-on-seat ruckus in RS

COMMOTION | I only carry one ₹500 note when I go to the Rajya Sabha, says Cong MP

- Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

A wad of Rs 500 notes was found by security staff on the seat allotted to Congress MP and senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Thursday. When this was announced by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar on Friday, his naming of the member drew ridicule from both the Treasury as well as the Opposition benches, even as Singhvi denied that the money belonged to him.

When the House assembled on Friday, Dhankar announced that it was "during the routine anti-sabotage check of the chamber after the adjournment of the House" on Thursday that "a wad of currency notes was recovered by the security officials from Seat No. 222, which is presently allotted to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, elected from the state of Telangana."

He said the matter was brought to his notice and he made sure an investigation happened and that it was underway.

Meanwhile, Singhvi posted on X. "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 yesterday and house rose at 1 pm; then I sat in canteen till 130 pm with Sh Ayodhya Rami Reddy; then I left parliament!"