OPEN FORUM
New Delhi, 12 November 2008
New Democratic Order
WANT PARTY TICKET?
PAY Rs ONE CRORE
By Syed Ali Mujtaba
The allegation by senior Congress leaders Margaret Alva and
Yogendra Makwana regarding the sale of Party tickets have brought the
functional dynamics of Indian democracy into the open, purportedly touted as
the best in the world.
Each Party ticket was supposedly sold at a premium of Rs 80
lakh to Rs 1 crore by those in-charge of the candidate selection process. Portrayed
as a cheap bargain up for grabs.
The selling of Party tickets is an established practice
among the Southern regional Parties, particularly those in Tamil Nadu. Most of
these Parties are either personal fiefdoms or proprietorships of a person or a
family who run the Party operations as a private business.
Come elections, and an action-packed high voltage drama
erupts every time for the distribution of the Party ticket. All criterions
mentioned in the rule book of democracy are put on the backburner replaced by commercial
entrepreneurship that comes into play.Nothing more, nothing less.
The criterions that are normally considered for the
distribution of tickets are caste and muscle power factor. However, today most
important of all is the capacity of the candidate to buy the ticket.
Needless to say, this has become a huge source of revenue to
the Parties and anyone who aspires to be a politician has to be prepared with
the financial muscle to buy the ticket at a premium price. This premium keeps going
up with every election keeping in mind the mounting inflation that’s rising
every year.
This practice has been in vogue from a long time and there
is nothing secret about it. Not only that. The model code of conduct that comes
into force after the announcement of the elections hardly pays any attention to
such kinds of fraudulent practices. The Election Commission turns a blind eye
to this travesty of democracy.
Sadly, this virus has now afflicted the national parties as
well. The allegation made by the two senior Congress party leaders has blown
the lid off the working of the Congress Party.
The four-term Rajya Sabha MP and Party General Secretary Margaret
Alva has alleged that in the last Karnataka Assembly poll, the Congress had
sold Party tickets to the highest bidder. She has come out in open because her
son was denied the ticket, reportedly because he refused to pay the money as he
was the progeny of one of the most senior leaders of the Party.
Clearly, there was something fishy going on in the Karnataka
Congress when another senior Congress leader and former Union Railway Minister Jaffer
Sharif’s grandson was denied a ticket and he announced that he would sit on a hunger
strike. The veteran leader took the matter to Congress High Command in Delhi and even met the Party
President Sonia Gandhi to show his resentment. Alva in the meantime has
reportedly has sent her resignation as General Secretary to Sonia Gandhi in
protest of this issue.
The rumors about the sale of Party tickets have now
resurfaced with Assembly elections in six States later this month. Worse, with Alva
blowing the whistle these rumors are now taken for truth. The seriousness of these
allegations could be ascertained by the fact that similar charges are beginning
to resound from other quarters of the Congress as well.
Adding grist, another Party functionary, Yogendra Makwana,
who heads the AICC's Scheduled Caste cell, has come out in support of Margret
Alva. Makwana asserted that there must be "something substantial" in
Alva's remarks and has demanded an inquiry into her charges.
Further, the Gujarat Scheduled Caste leader has alleged that
at least two SC women aspirants for Party tickets from Rajasthan have made a
similar complaint to him. He charged that an AICC leader demanded Rs 80 lakh
for a ticket from a candidate from the Bara constituency in Rajasthan. Another
candidate from Alwar complained to him that he was asked to cough up Rs 40 lakh
for a ticket. Makwana also averred that not one of the 30 names he had proposed
for the Rajasthan Assembly polls was accepted.
On its part, the Congress in a damage-control exercise has
rejected the allegations of tickets sale and ruled out a probe into the matter.
The Party spokesperson has said, “there is no truth in the allegations so the
question of a probe does not arise."
However, there are not many takers for the Congress defence.
Allegations continue to fly thick and fast that a coterie has over taken over
the Party and some unscrupulous people are making a fortune through the sale of
Party tickets. It is also said that many senior leaders are feeling suffocated as
they are gradually being side-lined. But their allegation of sale of tickets
has blown the lid over the functioning of the Congress.
Every one knows that Rajya Sabha seats too are sold to various
industrialist and business houses since a long time. The money-bags ‘buy’ these
seats because they feel becoming a Member of Parliament would add on their
status. It would also help them in some wheeling and dealing to expand their
business empire.
Nevertheless, even this interest is loosing sheen. Now many
see becoming an MP a waste of time so they purchase a Party ticket for one of
their minions. Recently, a famous industrialist bought a Rajya Sabha ticket
from Jharkhand for one of his company’s manager. Purportedly, so that the
manager could look after his business interest in Parliament.
In sum, the shocking disclosure by the Congress leaders have
confirmed that the practice of selling of the Party tickets in the State Assemblies
is an accepted practice in our country. Logically
speaking, the same practice could be at work for Lok Sabha seats as well. If this be the case, then it is the most
disgusting aspect about the functioning of India’s democracy. A new level to
which our democracy has stooped to, after 60 years of Independence. Hats off, to the Congress
leaders for blowing the whistle. Questionably, Is India on sale? Your guess is as good as mine! --- INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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