At a time when the Congress leadership has warned the partyagainst the "foot-in-mouth" syndrome, a Congress Rajya Sabha memberhas stirred up a new controversy with his reported claim that Rajya Sabha seatsare available for Rs 100 crores.
Birender Singh, a Congress MP from Haryana, reportedly said at a rally in Jind on Sunday:"Once someone had told me that Rs 100 crore was required for a Rajya Sabhaberth. But he said he got it for Rs 80 crore and saved Rs 20 crore. Now will people who (talk about Rs 100 crore),ever think of the poor?"
Mr Singh later retracted that remark, saying he was talking about the trend of moneypower in Parliament. "I quoted figures from a newspaper that 362 MPs arecrorepatis and out of them about 16 or 18 are what you call multi-millionaires.So I said if such people dominate politics then they will drown the voices ofthose who fight for the poor. So voters should use their discretion."
But his about-turn came too late to stop instant political backlash.
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