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Congress paper moots refusing tickets to criminal elements

The Congress party's political affairs group is understood to have discussed the growing violence and crime in political life and ways of tackling the menace.

The background paper on the political scenario painted a grim picture of internal security with violence raising its ugly head in Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland and Telangana. The situation in Delhi was no better and the BJP-led government had given a 'weak and uncertain' response to these challenges resulting in terrorism spreading to Himachal Pradesh, it said.

It was also felt that the use of armed forces should be the last option to tackle internal security. In the cases where the operators received 'moral and material' assistance from across the borders, diplomacy was an important component to overcome the threat.

The paper said over the years, the politicians who had been losing their electoral appeal had been resorting to the use of muscle power for electoral manipulations and booth-capturing, thus opening the field for criminal elements. To discourage this would require mass contact, strengthening exercises and constituency serving programmes.

The paper suggested refusal of party ticket for the parliamentary, assembly and local bodies elections to those with criminal record or association with anti-social elements. The party should differentiate between actual and phoney claims of mass base. ''Money brings power and power generates money'' and this money was used to hire crowds. Regardless of the consequences, the party must refuse ticket to such elements, it said.

The paper also regretted that the growing use of money power in political life had demeaned the concept of loyalty and voluntary service. Use of money for activities like getting party nominations in the elections and managing elections would spell consequences, and it was necessary to give priority for electoral reforms and the need to reduce cost of elections, the paper said.

The Congress on Friday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition for not trying to ''repair'' relationships with traditional friends and allies which opposed the Pokhran nuclear tests and instead ''stoking tensions'' in the region by the utterances of some of its ministers.

Addressing the three-day Congress conclave in Pachmarhi, party president Sonia Gandhi said the Vajpayee government had destroyed in a matter of two weeks, what the Congress had achieved in terms of bettering relations with China.

The country's policy towards Pakistan was also ''confused and unclear,'' she said, and underscored that peace with neighbours was essential.

In the new scenario following the nuclear tests conducted by Pakistan, ''we must now consolidate our technological capacities for defence and deterrence, avoiding confrontationist or necessary provocative positions,'' she said.

The national endeavour should be to become part of the international mainstream on disarmament without jeopardising the security options. ''India must acquire a leadership role in the international community on the basis of its achievements,'' she said.

Meanwhile, the absence of former president Sitaram Kesri at the ongoing Pachmarhi camp was conspicuous, even as party spokesman Ajit Jogi maintained that all the party men who attended the conclave were "happy and discussed various issues freely and frankly". Kesri had created a stir on the eve of the special session, by contending in a television interview that the party leadership had failed to topple the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition at the Centre.

In fact, it was in response to this criticism that Sonia Gandhi had pointed out on Friday that she did not share the pessimism of some, or the over-optimism of some others, about the party's prospects. Her observation was that she had deliberately chosen the middle path between the two courses.

A senior Congress leader maintained that Kesri's career in the party was effectively over, although he might "continue to make noises". Henceforth, he will be ignored by the party leadership, the leader said.

Reacting to her remarks yesterday on the future of shifting alliances, senior Congressman Vijayabhaskara Reddy said the statement should be seen in its totality. she had qualified her statement by adding that party men should not jettison certain processes in the name of stability.

Another leader said by her utterance, she was sending a discreet message to other parties that the Congress was ready to accept the support of various parties to head a coalition government at the Centre.

Tara Shankar Sahay, UNI

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