Skeleton key to Congress cupboard: Money speaks, literally

Just when we thought of adding Congress party to the roll call of casualties of recession, especially after it blamed its debacle in the Legislative Council by-poll on the BJP’s money power, skeletons are tumbling out of the party cupboard. There is a nail-biting tussle going on at the centre of the party about the latest outburst of party veteran Margaret Alva that tickets for the Assembly polls in Karnataka in May last were ‘sold’ to unworthy candidates, leading to the party’s nadir. While an inquiry has been reportedly ordered into the allegation, the party high command is finding itself on the wrong side of this and many such embarrassing arguments emanating from partymen. Get ready for this: “Much of the ticket sale moolah went, not into Congress kitty, but to the pockets of State and Central leaders in charge of candidate selection,” allege partymen.Some partymen are even preparing lists of the buyers of the seats, the winning bids and the beneficiaries of the sale proceeds. Some others are simply having the last laugh. The names of K C Kondaiah and a close relative of a former office bearer are figuring prominently as conduits of the ‘deals’.
Crucial time Maggie’s outburst comes in the midst of candidate selection for the Assembly elections in five states of the Hindi belt, where many party seniors’ kith and kin have been accommodated. Some of the same seniors had eschewed nepotism in the Karnataka elections. Maggie’s son as well as many worthy Karnataka leaders or their relatives were denied tickets. Later, when the tickets were ‘sold out’ and, much worse, when the Congress candidates fell like ninepins, there were rumblings within the State unit but the high command chose to look the other way.The only remedial action that followed was a cursory soul searching and a change of guard. Mallikarjuna Kharge was replaced with R V Deshpande and D K Shivakumar as State president and Working president respectively. That only served to add fuel to the fire within and a senior leader was heard ranting: “Congress bik gaya (sold) to Birlas and Tatas (implying Deshpande and Shivakumar in that order).”Then came the Legislative Council by-election from Local bodies constituencies and the decision to put up a combined fight with H D Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) party. Again, the decision to pair with JD(S) was hugely unpopular with many senior and second line leaders, including Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Some leaders advised against breathing life back into a ‘dead’ Dal but in vain. When the by-poll results were out, with the combine drawing a blank, these leaders felt vindicated.Maggie’s outburst is only the latest provocation for a showdown with the high command. “Seniority and loyalty are old hat and if matters are not set right fast, many partymen may quit,” is the contention of insiders.That brings us to the crucial question — who started this trend and when? Luckily for Deshpande, he is spared the blame. Former office bearer Hasanabba is accused of setting the trend of selling party posts and positions. As soon as S M Krishna got the tidings, he divested Hasanabba of the powers, it is said. The not too current going rate, not to fight an election, but for merely bagging a party ticket, is put at Rs 5 crore. “Only partymen who have the money to donate to Central observers and senior leaders can afford to stay in Congress ticket,” quipped an insider.Universal malaiseBut this money talk is not confined to the Congress alone. The recent Council by-poll result went in favour of BJP not because the Congress did not spend, but because the ruling party spent more. And if the spending in a general election, where ordinary voters have to be pleased, runs into crores, it goes without saying how extravagant the council by-poll would have been with panchayat members, MLAs and MPs comprising the electoral college. That’s perhaps why Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa decided to make his thanksgiving too jumbo-sized by donating an elephant to a Kerala temple soon after the result.The Janata Dal (Secular) party, whose voluntary support to the Congress in the by-poll is suspect because of the negative result, is in a slightly different predicament than the Congress. Flushed with money as it is, there are no takers for party posts and positions so much so that the State president’s mantle went abegging and inevitably fell on the shoulders of Gowda family scion, H D Kumaraswamy, himself.As things stand, one shudders to think of the impending by-election to eight Assembly seats in Karnataka and the Lok Sabha polls slated for early next year. In spite of the financial crisis, it is not difficult times for politicians at least.