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Opposition MPs target govt in Rajya Sabha over alleged misuse of probe agencies
Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar cautioned the MPs that they should not make unsubstantiated remarks
Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha on Monday questioned the central government over the alleged misuse of investigative agencies during a discussion in the Upper House of Parliament.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh alleged, “In the last eight years, the ED (Enforcement Directorate) raided 3,000 opposition leaders but just 23 people were convicted, i.e just 0.5%. Why was the ED mum when fugitive Nirav Modi was found guilty of laundering ₹2,000 crore?’’
Members from the treasury benches objected to Singh’s claims. Chairperson of the house Jagdeep Dhankar cautioned the AAP parliamentarian, saying, “In this House, we cannot allow any member to give out facts that are not substantiated and that constitute a very serious breach of privilege. Anything spoken in this House cannot be in the figure. It has to be indicated with precision, sanctity, and with ownership. The honourable member (Sanjay Singh) can make his input but it does not need to be a speech.”
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, while replying to the chair, said, “Sir, you mentioned that this House has to be addressed keeping facts and figures and authenticity in mind. Representatives in this house either talk on responses based on unstarred or starred questions. Facts reported by the media might not be credible all the time, yet it is considered in some occasions and beyond that the claims that the Prime Minister makes like that of 2 crore jobs. We have always taken it at face value and we always assume that it is authentic.”
Union minister Piyush Goyal responded to the allegation by saying that the government was doing a public service by putting the ministers under interrogation who were found guilty of irregularities. “People make many claims on social media which aren’t substantiated by facts. They are not backed by some starred or unstarred questions and nor are they backed by RTI. A senior MP here claimed that 3,000 political persons have been raided so far. It’s completely erroneous. No law gives immunity to elected representatives,” the minister said.
