The Congress will go ahead with the selection of around 15 lok Sabha candidates through primaries, despite initial hiccups created by some senior leaders. The party has said that the new process is in line with the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's focus on opening the system by "ending the high command culture" and empowering the grassroots workers.
AICC General Secretary Ajay Maken said that the process will continue as it is part of the long-terms plans to bring sweeping changes in ticket distribution and other processes in the party. However, Maken chose to downplay the controversy over the recent decision by the party to drop Chandni Chowk and North West Delhi Parliamentary constituencies represented by Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Krishna Tirath from the list of primaries. Both Sibal and Tirath had opposed the move.
"When the elected MPs had a viewpoint and when they asked what is the criteria of selecting two seats out of seven (in Delhi), the Congress Vice President, who has always believed in fair play, agreed that there should be a proper laid-out system even for selecting seats for the primaries," Maken, who also heads the AICC Communication department said.
AICC general secretaries Gurudas Kamat, Maken and Mandsaur MP Meenakshi Natarajan have already requested the party to include their lok Sabha seats in the list of primaries.
Maken said that in his exercise to channelise a new kind of energy within the party, Rahul has given power to ordinary workers to elect their office bearers as was done in NSUI and Youth Congress. "Gandhi (Rahul) said that this is a pilot project, which he wishes to extend in the whole country at a later stage. This is a powerful idea," Maken said.
He said that the Congress Vice President thinks that while in Government functioning transparency is being brought through steps like RTI and punitive measures like lokpal and other anti graft bills, as far political system is concerned, it cannot be made transparent till the Congress workers do not have a say in electing their candidates.
"Primaries system will empower the party workers in candidate's selection and people will rise up the ladder through the organization. This will complete the full cycle of reforms in Government and political system and cleanse it. This is the thinking of the Congress
Vice President behind the move," Maken said responding to questions as to why the need for this new method of candidate selection was felt now.