JD(U), RJD and Congress Legislators on Wednesday created ruckus in both Houses of Bihar Legislature over recovery of Rs 1.14 crore, 600 US dollars and ornaments stolen from the house of BJP MP Giriraj Singh and demanded his arrest and termination of Parliament membership alleging it as "black money".
As the Assembly sat for the day, JD(U), RJD and Congress MLAs trooped into well and demanded stringent action against Giriraj Singh.
With BJP members also in the well to protest police firing in Rohtas district on Tuesday in which two persons were killed, Speaker Udai Narayan Choudhary adjourned the House till 2 pm when members refused to obey him and return to their seat.
Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi was in the House when pandemonium erupted. Later, the CM told reporters in his chamber that the state government has taken cognisance of recovery of huge cash, US dollar and ornaments stolen from Giriraj Singh's flat on July 7 and would act according to law. "Patna police and Income Tax have already been probing the source of the wealth recovered. If need arises other forms of inquiry could be ordered," he said.
Former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed surprise over volume of cash and US dollar which were recovered. "The volume is big. It raises question as from where did it come?" Kumar told reporters emerging from Legislative council. He hailed prompt action by Patna police in nabbing the culprits and recovery of stolen items in short time.
JD(U) MLAs sat on dharna at the main entrance of the Assembly demanding immediate arrest of Giriraj Singh, BJP MP from Nawada and termination of his membership in the wake of recovery of such a huge amount of cash and US dollars.
JD(U) MLA Manjit Singh told reporters that it was a challenge for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who made "lofty" speeches on black money during poll campaign to act against his party MP harbouring ill gotten wealth. Singh and his party colleague Dawood Ali demanded the state government to act under provisions of anti-corruption laws against the BJP MP, confiscate his properties and convert it into school for poor as has been its policy.
Similar was the scene in Legislative Council where JD(U) members created ruckus over Giriraj Singh issue. Police had recovered the stolen items from the BJP MP's flat with the arrest of four persons on Tuesday.
Former Chief Minister and RJD leader Rabri Devi expressed surprise over recovery of cash and US dollar stolen from Giriraj Singh's house and sought proper inquiry into its source. Told that the MP was claiming that the recovered items were of his cousin, she said "it's an excuse as the money seems to have been earned by him as minister of Animal Husbandry during NDA rule."
But, BJP described it as "non-issue" and assailed the ruling party for disrupting both the Houses over the matter.
"State government has all the power to probe such a matter so why its members are disrupting proceedings of the two Houses?" leader of opposition in Legislative Council Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters.
He laughed at the JD(U) demand for termination of membership of Parliament of Giriraj Singh saying "can membership go on such an issue?"
Sushil Modi's counterpart in Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav told reporters that it was unprecedented that members of the ruling party are trooping into the well to disrupt proceeding of the House over a non-issue without giving any notice for adjournment.
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