Rift over internal polls in Youth Cong

Hoshiarpur, December 19

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s proposal of conducting organisational elections in the Youth Congress (YC) ‘to promote democracy within the organisation’ has been criticised by party leaders.

Ajay Mall, senior vice-president, State Youth Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), said this ‘internal democracy’ was leading to factionalism among workers and hence weakening the party. He said the Youth Congress elections were acting as a catalyst to divide Congressmen into factions. He said, “Rahul Gandhi may have taken this step to strengthen the party, but it has aggravated factionalism among party workers and leaders.”

He alleged that money power is often used by candidates to win such organisational elections. “Those who don’t have the money to spend in the election cannot dare to think of contesting such elections. If it continues this way, Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to bring the capable people to the fore cannot succeed,” he said. — OC