Home arrow Archives arrow Open Forum arrow Open Forum 2008 arrow New Democratic Order:WANT PARTY TICKET? PAY Rs ONE CRORE,By Syed Ali Mujtaba,12 November 2008
 
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New Democratic Order:WANT PARTY TICKET? PAY Rs ONE CRORE,By Syed Ali Mujtaba,12 November 2008 Print E-mail

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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