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Congress taken aback at Alva’s outburst

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday disapproved of senior leader Margaret Alva going public with her grievances about candidates selection. Responding to questions at a briefing here, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said: “Such grievances ought not to be aired in public.”

Pointing out that it is for the Disciplinary Action Committee to decide whether or not action should be taken against Ms. Alva, the Congress for now is describing her remarks as an “emotional outburst.” Mr. Singhvi said: “We can understand there are emotional moments, but she is a senior leader of the party and member of the Central Election Committee.”

The mechanisms and established conventions of the party were large and capacious enough to handle all such grievances. “I am sure that all her grievances will be considered and we have no doubt that such outbursts will never occur again.”

On Thursday, Ms. Alva openly questioned the presence of a number of relatives of party leaders among the candidates being fielded for the coming Assembly elections in various States. Her complaint was that an entirely different yardstick was applied at the time of ticket distribution for the Karnakata Assembly elections in which many a Congress leader’s relative – including her son – was denied a chance to contest because of family connections.

About Ms. Alva’s allegations, Mr. Singhvi said: “We do not agree with what she said.” There was no blanket rule that mandated denial of ticket to relatives of party leaders. “Winnability and commitment to the party are the only factors which matter.”

Awaiting Sonia’s return

Taken aback at Ms. Alva’s allegations, the party is awaiting Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s return from Bhutan.

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