By IANS,
New Delhi : Congress general secretary M. Veerappa Moily has said that senior party leader Margaret Alva, relieved of her party positions for her cash-for-tickets charges, was “an enemy of herself.”
In an interview with CNN-IBN’s Karan Thapar, he denied that any coterie within the party was working against her and said: “She was an enemy of herself. I don’t think she needs any outside enemy on an issue like this.”
Asked if the party was justified in removing Alva from the posts held by her, Moily said it was unfortunate but inevitable since her public utterances were a breach of discipline.
Alva was relieved of her posts after she alleged Nov 6 that the ticket distribution for the Karnataka assembly elections in May 2008 had been bungled and that some party leaders had taken money to select candidates.
“It was most unfortunate. We are not happy she had to go, but this was inevitable, particularly after the kind of statements she gave, which breached the party discipline,” Moily said.
Asked about an inquiry into Alva’s allegations, Moily said: “Where is the question? When all these matters have been gone into by the A.K. Antony Committee, and thereafter there is no issue. Since there are no issues, the question of examining (her allegations) did not arise.”
In reply to another question, he said: “We have made an inquiry. It’s a motivated allegation made by Yogendra Makwana; we have verified it, it is wrong.”
Makwana, a senior party leader and former union minister, had backed Alva’s allegations.
Moily said there is no ban in the party on giving tickets to the kith and kin of politicians but there is an absolute transparency in the distribution of tickets. This, he said, was in accordance with the wishes of Rahul Gandhi, son of party president Sonia Gandhi and a general secretary.
“The Congress has not put a total ban on the kith and kin or the children of any politician. I can produce volumes and volumes of records to demonstrate there is absolute transparency and lots of interaction took place with everyone,” he said.
“Ultimately, the outcome (selection of candidates) came out after a proper exercise and interaction.”
“It is very much in accordance with Rahulji’s wishes that it (ticket distribution) has to be transparent, it has to be broadbased and it has to be done through (a) process,” Moily said. The interview will be telecast at 8.30 p.m. Sunday.
Alva was dropped Nov 12 from the post of general secretary as well as from the membership of the Congress Working Committee, the party’s highest decision making body, and the Central Election Committee on charges of indiscipline.