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Cong leader talks of money in
party politics, eased out
WSN Network
NEW DELHI:
A little
bit of ripple is going through
India’s
ruling Congress party as one of its better known women faces — no,
not Sonia Gandhi — has said party tickets for elections are
sometimes sold to the highest bidder, a statement that triggered
some strong reactions.
AICC general
secretary Margaret Alva, herself a longstanding and generous
beneficiary of the Gandhi family’s political patronage, donned the
role of a ‘rebellious mother’ after her son was denied ticket in
Karnataka while many children/relatives of her party colleagues like
Arjun Singh, Shish Ram Ola, Ajit Jogi, Paras Ram Maderna etc got
tickets to contest assembly elections. But Alva’s anger was not
taken kindly. Official spokesperson blasted her, and pushed to the
wall, she resigned on Tuesday as general secretary, her resignation
coming within hours of a meeting with Sonia Gandhi to explain her
stance. Now, Congress’ Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) also
threatens action against the 66-year-old leader. She is also
incharge of Punjab. If only Alva was not overburdened with the
priority of finding tickets for her son, she could have really paid
attention to those genuine party workers who have real laments.
Alva is also a
member of the Working Committee and the Central Election Committee.
Antony has already met Gandhi and is believed to have submitted his
report amidst speculation that some action would be taken against
Alva. Meanwhile, Khursheed Alam, MLA, in Bihar has quit as a whip of
the party in the state assembly protesting the treatment meted out
to her.
12 November
2008
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