The panel will consist of officials from security agencies, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat and senior MPs.
New Delhi:
A high-level probe has been ordered after a bundle of cash was found from Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi's Rajya Sabha seat. The high-level committee that will oversee the investigation will include officials from security agencies, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat and senior MPs.
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar told MPs this morning that the cash bundle – of Rs 500 notes totaling Rs 50,000 – was found after the House adjourned last night. Mr Singhvi made it clear that he had never heard of such a thing, suggesting that bundle was not his.
To find out how the money package got there, CCTV footage from cameras installed in the house is being examined.
The discovery came during an anti-sabotage check on Thursday, after which the Rajya Sabha Secretariat was informed and placed under the 'lost and found' desk. Mr Dhankhar was subsequently informed.
Read: Chaos in Rajya Sabha after a bundle of money was found at the Congressman's seat. He responds
“I hereby inform members that during the routine anti-sabotage review of the House following the adjournment of the House yesterday. Apparently, a stack of currency notes has been recovered by the security officials from seat number 222 which is currently allotted to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, elected from Telangana State,” Mr Dhankhar informed the MPs as the House resumed this morning.
Security officials conduct anti-sabotage checks every day after parliamentary sessions, often uncovering items left behind by MPs. These items are then deposited at the 'Lost and Found' counter at the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
Mr Dhankhar's statement caused an uproar among both Finance Ministers and the Opposition, following which Mr Singhvi gave an account of how he spent the day in Parliament.
“I have heard of it for the first time now. Never heard of it until now! I carry a 500 rs note with me when I go to RS. I have heard of it for the first time. I reached the house at 12: 57 hours and the house was up at 1:00 PM, when I I sat in the canteen till 1:30 PM, then I left Parl (sic),” the Congress leader said in an online post.
Saying that he spent just three minutes in the House of Representatives yesterday and another 30 minutes in the canteen, he expressed his surprise that anyone could leave something on the seats in Parliament.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, formerly a Congress member, supported the call for an inquiry.
“The opposition is demanding an investigation. Whether you call in the FBI or enlist the help of Interpol. There is 24 hour CCTV on the entire site – this all needs to be investigated. Today it's cash, tomorrow they can try. to imply something different on the opposition votes,” she told DailyExpertNews.
