Jagdeep Dhankhar orders high-level probe after wad of cash found at Abhishek Singhvi’s Rajya Sabha seat

Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar ordered a high-level probe on Friday after a cash bundle was found under Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi's Rajya Sabha seat, NDTV reported.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi has, however, denied the charges.

Dhankhar claimed that ₹50,000 were recovered from Abhishek Singhvi's seat. The Chairman's claim led to protests by Congress MPs, including Mallikarjun Kharge, who urged that names should not have been taken before the investigation.

The high-level committee that will oversee the probe will reportedly include officials from security agencies, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, and senior MPs.

‘Seat can be locked…’

Abhishek Manu Singhvi welcomed the probe into the investigation, taking a dig at how the MPs should lock their seats before going home.

“It means that each of us must have a seat where the seat itself can be locked, and the key can be carried home by the MP because everybody can then do things on the seat and make allegations like this,” Singhvi said, according to India Today.

Singhvi also denied the charges, claiming that he carries just a ₹500 note. The MP gave reporters a detailed account of when he reached the Parliament, how much time he spent in the canteen, and when he left the Rajya Sabha.

“I heard about this for the first time. I reached the House at 12.57 pm, and the House rose at 1 pm. Then, I sat in the canteen till 1.30 pm with Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad and left Parliament,” Singhvi stated, reported India Today.

What other MPs said

The issue quickly became a centre of conflict, with MPs dishing out each other on what should have been done after the wad of cash was discovered. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju observed that there was nothing wrong with pointing out the MP's name and seat number. 

(With inputs from agencies)