Submitted to Election Commission of India by Sudhakaran, Chervattail House resident of Pullut Village of Kodungallure Municipality, of Thrissur Dt, Kerala State, and a primary member of Indian National Congress party.
Sub: Ensure ‘Inner Party democracy elections’ in Congress Party & Guard against Consensus - the undemocratic manipulations.
(This is further to my letter sent in June 2002 on the same subject)
Commission may please take note of the proposal for conducting organizational elections in the Congress party and the news emanating about efforts to manipulate the process by vested interests.
Group caucus in Congress party had been expropriating party positions between themselves and their lackeys by ‘Negating Inner-party Democratic elections’ – the vital rejuvenating force of democracy, and manipulating through undemocratic ‘Consensus’ route. Such expropriation has been causing character-crisis in party leadership hierarchy, catalyzing group-ism, splits and cancerous ‘proliferation of political parties.
Signals of conspiracy and manipulations by members/lackeys of such caucuses, to repeat the expropriation are emanating daily. Myself is witness to Thrissure DCC chief, on 9/4/2010 and a member of KPCC executive on 13/4/2010 extorting party members: “If the higher leadership considers that consensus is right for us… we should agree for that” … with warning that the those not falling in line with the leadership’s dictates would be noted, reported and dealt with…
Vested interests and dynasties entrenched in positions of power for decades at different strata of Congress party (other parties also), helped by these undemocratic manipulations, have denied us, those who refuse to be the lackey of the dynasty/caucus, our democratic right to dream of chance to contest to higher echelons of political power in our party or Nation.
Consensus and nominations are anti/un-democratic manipulations and a threat of democracy itself, which:
· Deny basic democratic right of members to contest for positions in a party or as party candidate to elected positions in government.
· Allow expropriation of positions of power in a party or government by party bosses/caucuses/dynasties and their lackeys.
· Promote sycophancy, lackey-ism, nepotism, incompetence, cowardice, corruption, etc…, in political leadership.
· Inhibits promotion of competence and integrity in leadership
· Repulse & obstruct entry of competent persons of integrity and character in to the leadership hierarchy
· Cause ‘Character-crisis in political leadership’ with stagnation in leadership with prevalence tainted lackeys in leadership hierarchy.
· Such degraded leadership breeds corruption and being a wrong role model, cause moral decay of the masses, in manifestation of the proverb: ‘Yadha Raja Thadha Praja’.
· Promote dynastic tendencies by allowing vested interests to set-in..
· Cause anger among sidelined aspirants, favoritism playing openly in appointments, which develop into enmity to group-ism and further to splits weakening the parties.
· Such splits cause/aggravate another curse - the cancerous ‘proliferation of political parties’, threatening national integration.
Inner party competitions and elections are the natural rejuvenating force of democracy. We reasonably believe that facilitating unhindered practice of Inner party democracy is the only way to:
· Attract and promote more competent to political leadership.
· Allow evaluation of comparative competence and acceptability (among the voters/members of the relevant strata) of the aspirants, and election of persons with comparatively better competence to leadership hierarchy…
· Purge the not-so-competent from the corridors of political power.
· Chances of anger and enmity is avoided as every one is given equal opportunity to compete… hence the group-ism, presently a menace in all political parties and chances of splits would subside arresting further aggravation of ‘proliferation of political parties’.
Fair Play of ‘Inner party Democracy’ means:
1. Minimum standards be formulated by the Commission on conduct of internal functions including organizational elections to political parties, as SEBI has done for Capital market.
2. Parties not adhering to these guide lines should be barred from participating in election process at any level – Panchayat to Parliament.
3. Membership campaign should be transparent, verifiable for ghost or dual membership, i.e. membership in two parties at the same period.
4. All member registers should contain election ID or UID copies.
5. Inner party elections should be monitored by the Commission.
6. Elections to each stratum should be staggered by minimum of 30 days and 3 or 4 debating opportunities in conclaves of members of the concerned stratum be provided to the aspirants/candidates (especially to the newly entered ones from the lower strata) to get acquainted with, campaign among voters on one’s comparative strengths and opponents’ weaknesses.
For the sake of promoting and strengthening democracy, in the best patriotic interest and no other personal agenda or ambition, I myself am willing to contest to any position eligible, from booth level up to AICC President-ship if no one else is willing to contest. (Contrast with Obama’s of US. He had the freedom to dream and strive to achieve the dream: dream to contest for the Presidential candidacy of Democratic Party and to contest. No body denied him the chance to compete against Hillary Clinton, wife of a former President. That is the beauty & strength of true Democracy. Right to dream for the highest and freedom & equal opportunity to strive to achieve it)
Hence I request Election Commission of India, the guardian of Democracy, for the sake of protecting and promoting Democracy, and for the sake of strengthening India with a strong and competent political leadership, to do the needful to protect our right-to-aspire for the highest position in our party and Nation, and to contest and campaign for such positions to realize such dream; … and to see that right is not denied with the hurdles of undemocratic manipulations by vested interests;… and to guarantee equal opportunity and level playing ground for anybody aspiring to contest to any position in a party.
Sudhakaran . C. K,
Cheravattail House, Narayanamangalam,
P.O. Pulloot, Pin – 680663,
Trichur Dt., Kerala.
