Rajya Sabha cash row | I carry $5.90 with me when I go to RS: Cong's Singhvi on money found on his seat

New Delhi, India

A controversy erupted in the ongoing Winter Session of the Indian Parliament. Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankar said on Friday (Dec 6) that a wad of cash was on Thursday found by security officials on seat number 22, which is currently allocated to Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

"The matter was brought to my attention, and I ensured an investigation was initiated, which is currently underway," Dhankhar stated.

The issue led to a war of words between the opposition and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

What did Singhvi say about recovery of cash from his seat?

Speaking to reporters, Singhvi, a senior leader of the Congress, said that an investigation was needed to identify who placed the money, rightly or by mistake, on his Rajya Sabha seat.

"...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," Singhvi told the news agency ANI.

Also read | Cash recovered from parliament seat allotted to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Dhankhar claims

"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," Singhvi added.

He also suggested that there should be barbed wire fencing or a lockable glass enclosure for seats as anyone could place any items when a parliamentarian was away.

In a separate post on X, Singhvi said that he carries only $5.90 (Rs 500) when he goes to the Rajya Sabha.

BJP vs Oppn over the issue

Speaking to the news agency ANI, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Congress, cash and corruption, these three Cs always work in coordination... Wherever there is corruption and cash, Congress is found there... Why is Congress scared of investigation?"

"...Congress leaders have so much money that they don't even bother to take account of the money which is left (on the bench in Parliament). Since no leader came to collect the money, it raises doubts on many sources of the money that people know whose money it is but they don't come to collect it," BJP MP Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi said.

"If the Rajya Sabha chairman has made a statement then it means the matter is serious. The truth should come out. Why is the opposition running away from raising the issues of the public?... Why they (the opposition) are not allowing the parliament to function?..." BJP MP Anurag Thakur told reporters.

Meanwhile, Congress sources told the news agency that the recovery of money from Singhvi's seat was a ploy to divert attention from the Adani bribery case.

"This is BJP's strategy, a diversionary tactic. The issues we are raising, farmer issues, the Chairman himself has raised it and these are many big issues. We want a discussion on the bribery allegations in the Modani scam. So, to divert attention from these, they raise new issues," Congress MP Jairam Ramesh told reporters. 

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (Dal), an ally of the Congress, said, "...The way BJP is protesting against this (cash recovery from Singhvi's seat), if they would have protested against the Adani issue, many of the wrong deeds would have come out."

(With inputs from agencies)