Chouhan’s U-turn on scrapping Rajya Sabha

BHOPAL - Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has taken a U-turn after suggesting the scrapping of the Rajya Sabha and said he held both houses of parliament in high esteem.

In a statement late Sunday, several hours after his earlier remark, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said he respected both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

“If someone drew any other meaning from my comments, I apologize for it,” he said.

While addressing a function at the state assembly Sunday afternoon, Chouhan suggested the scrapping of the Rajya Sabha, saying black money was widely used in elections to the upper house.

“Huge amounts of money is spent in elections. Businessmen put their black money to reap benefits later,” he had said. “There is no use of the Rajya Sabha.”

Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi was present on the occasion. Central Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily was the chief guest.

Chouhan’s own party did not support his idea. BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said he and his party believed in the constitution and the Rajya Sabha had its significance.