Rajya Sabha grapples with a suspicious bundle of currency found on Abhishek Singhvi’s seat 

The House of Elders found itself grappling to ascertain the source of a wad of currency notes of Rs 500 denomination located on the seat of Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha this morning.

The information regarding the suspicious bundle, detected by Parliament security during a routine anti-sabotage drill in the House, was shared with MPs by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar who named Singhvi, to the displeasure of the Congress.

Dhankhar said during routine anti-sabotage checks after the adjournment of the House yesterday, a wad of currency notes was recovered by security officials from seat no. 222 allotted to Congress’s Singhvi, elected from Telangana for the term from 2024 to 2026.

“The matter was brought to my notice and I felt it expedient as per practice to ensure investigation takes place in accordance with the law and the same is under way.

“It was my duty and I am obliged to inform the House. Information has been imparted for a simple reason. When it was brought to my notice, I thought someone would come to reclaim it. But no one came. You cannot make out from the surface whether these notes are fake or not. Apparently the denomination is Rs 500. All these are subject to serious investigation. No one should be opposed to a serious probe,” said Dhankhar.

Noting that India was progressing towards a less-cash and more formal economy, Dhankhar asked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman if what happened was normal.

“Does it indicate the state of the economy that people can afford to forget (their money)?” Dhankhar asked the Finance Minister.

At this point Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge got up to say that till the time a probe is on and authenticity of the source of money is ascertained, the Chairman should not name anyone.

“Where it was found and on what seat...the name should not be mentioned till the probe is complete...You are all lawyers, can he do like this?” Kharge asked his Rajya Sabha colleagues amid ruckus.

Singhvi later took to X to say “Heard of it for the first time now. Never heard of it till now! I carry one 500 Rs note when I go to RS. First time I heard of it. I reached inside the house at 1257 PM yesterday and the house rose at 1 PM. Then I sat in the canteen till 130 pm with Ayodhya Rami Reddy, then I left Parliament. Pl quote me if u do fully…”