AICC general secretary and senior Karnataka leader Margaret Alva dropped a bombshell on Thursday by alleging that money played a big role in the ticket distribution of her party.
Miffed over denial of ticket to her son, AICC general secretary lashes out at the party for being ‘unfair’ in ticket distribution; Cong leader says her son was unfit for the job
NEW DELHI: AICC general secretary and senior Karnataka leader Margaret Alva dropped a bombshell on Thursday by alleging that money played a big role in the ticket distribution of her party during the Karnatka assembly elections. Speaking to the media in the capital Alva said “tickets were sold” by the local leadership of her party.
Alva also accused the party of adopting double standards on the question of denying tickets to relatives.
“I’m told by the media that lots of sons and daughters have been given tickets by the party in the five states going to the polls. Why this double standard? What was wrong with Jaffer Sharief’s grandson or my son? Were they anti-national or terrorists?” she asked.
Alva said she had written to party president Sonia Gandhi protesting the double standards. Margaret Alva’s son was one of the claimants for a ticket in Karnatka and the denial of the ticket still rankles her.
Alva vehemently criticised the manner in which the elections were managed in Karnatka and blamed those in charge of letting down the party. She said leaders ganged up to form a syndicate. “One syndicate got 25 seats but failed to win even one seat,” she said.
Alva said she had raised the issue at the central election committee but did little to conceal her anger against the powers that be in the party.
The timing of Alva’s diatribe is significant as it comes just before the assembly elections in the five states later this month and in December. The Congress has a huge fight on its hands as it tries to regain power in states like MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and hold on to power in Delhi. Alva’s bombshell is likely to embarrass the party by providing the Opposition a readymade issue against the party.
The Congress president is away in Bhutan attending the coronation, but senior leaders present in the capital were taken aback by her diatribe. AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnatka Prithviraj Chauhan said it was for the disciplinary action committee of the party to take note of what she had said. While another general secretary Digvijay Singh who was also one of those deputed by the high command to help out in the Karnatka elections declined to comment on the issue.
A senior party leader, who declined to be named, claimed her son was denied a ticket for "want of merit". The leader said Alva wanted the nomination for her son from the "safe seat" of Sarvadnya Nagar in Bangalore where there were 40 aspirants, including the grandson of Jaffer Sharief.
Alva said she had only spoken out after apprising the Congress president of the situation. However senior Congress leaders are of the view that she is on the verge of joining the BSP and deliberately chose speak out in the manner that she has in order to provoke the party to take disciplinary action against her.
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