Recovery of ₹50,000 stirs parliament row

A storm erupted in Parliament after cash was found in Congress MP Singhvi's seat, sparking protests and demands for an investigation into security lapses.

A political storm rocked Parliament on Friday after Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar announced that an unclaimed wad of currency notes was found in an Upper House seat allotted to Congress member Abhishek Singhvi, triggering protests from the Congress and the senior lawmaker.

Dhankhar said an anti-sabotage team, while carrying out the mandatory search inside the House on Thursday, found a wad of currency notes from seat number 222 allotted to Singhvi. Singhvi termed the incident “bizarre” and demanded a probe into what he described as a “security lapse”. (Sansad TV)

Singhvi termed the incident “bizarre” and demanded a probe into what he described as a “security lapse”. Both Houses of Parliament were later adjourned after the ruling side and the Opposition traded barbs.

Addressing the members of the Upper House soon after papers were laid in the morning, Dhankhar said an anti-sabotage team, while carrying out the mandatory search inside the House on Thursday, found a wad of currency notes from seat number 222 allotted to Singhvi.

“During the routine anti-sabotage check after the adjournment of the House yesterday, apparently a wad of currency notes was recovered by the security officials from seat number 222 presently allotted to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, elected from the state of Telangana,” he said.

An investigation was ordered by practice, he said, adding that it was not clear if the currency notes were real or fake. He added that the money recovered was “apparently 100 notes of ₹500 denomination”,

“It was my duty and I’m obliged to inform the House. This is a routine anti-sabotage check which takes place,” he said.

Dhankhar did not give the details about the amount of cash recovered.

The statement caused a furore in the House with protests from the Opposition.

Singhvi said he was astonished to hear about the cash recovery. “Yesterday [Thursday], I reached inside the House at 12.57 in the afternoon. The House closes at 1 pm. From 1 to 1.30, I sat with Ayodhya Prasad in the canteen and had lunch. At 1.30, I left Parliament. So, my total stay in the House was three minutes and 30 minutes in the canteen yesterday. I find it bizarre that even on such an issue politics is raised,” said Singhvi.

Later, he spoke in detail about the incident.

“My total stay in the House yesterday was for three minutes and in Parliament for 30 minutes. I find it bizarre that even on such issues politics is raised. Of course,e there should be an inquiry as to how people can come and put anything anywhere on any seat,” the senior advocate later told reporters.

He added that there should be an inquiry on how people can come and put anything anywhere on any seat.

“It means that each one must have a seat where the seat itself can be locked and the key can be carried home by the member of Parliament. Because everybody can then do things on the seat and then make allegations about it,” the Congress MP said.

“If it was not tragic and serious it would be comic. Everyone should cooperate to get to the bottom of this. And, if there is a failing on the part of security agencies, that must also be completely exposed,” Singhvi added.

Dhankhar’s comments angered the Opposition in the Upper House.

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said Dhankhar should not have named the member before the investigation was completed.

Dhankhar cited practice and said an investigation was ordered. “It was my duty and I am obliged to inform the House. This is a routine anti-sabotage check which takes place,” he said.

Dhankhar also said he was expecting someone to claim the currency notes, but no one has done it so far. In a lighter vein, he asked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, “Does it reflect the state of the economy that people can afford to forget it?”

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju questioned why there would be any objection to Singhvi’s name being taken. “The chairman has pointed out a seat number and the member who occupies that. What is the problem with that?” he asked, backing an investigation.

Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders demanded a thorough investigation into the source of the cash.

Union health minister and leader of the House JP Nadda said the matter was serious and the Opposition and treasury benches should not be divided as it was an attack on the dignity of the House.

"On some issues, you show eagerness, while you want to cover up other issues,” he said.

Kharge hit back. “Why is Mr Nadda saying we are trying to suppress the matter... You do that, we don’t do that.”

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal also said it was a serious issue. “... We don’t know what else may be found on that side,” he said. Without taking any names, Goyal accused the opposition of stalling Parliament over ‘fake narratives”.

“We have been seeing session after session, on fake narratives, fake views... the Leader of Opposition and the leaders of the immoral alliance have stalled the House,” Goyal said in an apparent reference to the Congress demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe allegations against the Adani Group.

“They base their narrative on foreign reports and stall the House. Is there a conspiracy in this as well? People will have to worry about the kind of give and take that happens to forward the fake narrative,” he said.

Congress lawmaker Imran Masood called for a thorough investigation. “There are CCTV cameras everywhere but they are unable to find it,” Masood said.

He said the BJP was behaving as if the money of diamantaire Nirav Modi, who fled India in 2018 before details of his alleged involvement in large-scale fraud at the Punjab National Bank became public, was recovered.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders demanded a thorough investigation into the source of the cash. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said as soon as the Rajya Sabha proceedings started, the chairman informed the House that currency notes were recovered from the Congress benches.

“It was unexpected.” He added Dhankhar said he expected someone to claim the money but no one did so. “This makes us curious about the whole thing.”

BJP lawmaker Deepak Prakash said the recovery showed the character of the Congress. “The sacred temple of democracy has been maligned,” he added.

A government official said the Income Tax Act does not specify anything about such a recovery.

“Individuals are permitted to keep any amount of cash at home, as long as it is derived from legitimate sources and duly reported in their Income Tax Returns and accounting records,” said the official on condition of anonymity when asked about restrictions on carrying cash.

Rules bar paying over ₹2 lakh in cash for purchases without PAN and Aadhaar details. There are also restrictions on transactions above ₹1 lakh with credit or debit cards.

Receiving over ₹2 lakh in cash from a relative in a day or taking a loan above ₹20,000 in cash from anyone else is also prohibited.

Anti-sabotage checks are carried out every day after parliamentary sessions to check for any substance or article that can pose a threat to the members. Items left behind by MPs are either returned to them or deposited in the lost-and-found counter, said a Rajya Sabha functionary.

This is the second time that cash in Parliament has led to a furore. In 2008, a controversy erupted when MPs displayed bundles of currency in the Lok Sabha during a crucial trust vote.

While there are no restrictions on MPs to carry cash, they are not allowed to carry weapons and recording devices. MPs are also exempt from being frisked.