Winnability, not past, matters: Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress, on Thursday defended its decision to field Raja Ram Pal, former BSP MP, who was expelled from Parliament in the wake of the cash-for-queries scam. ���Tickets are given according to winnability,��� Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued defending the party���s choice.

Raja Ram Pal joined the Congress earlier this month and is the party���s candidate from Akbarpur parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

He was one of 11 MPs, who were expelled for their involvement in the cash-for-query scam. However, he is the only one among them who is contesting the current elections on a party symbol.

Not wanting to be pushed of the probity in public life plank, the Congress argued that the other parties were not concerned with morality. The party spokeserson suggested that the only reason why remaining 10 of these expelled MPs have not been fielded is their inability to win. Even after having downgraded morality as a marker for candidate selection, the party defended Ram Pal saying that he had been punished and that he has asked for forgiveness.

���If a person has been punished, and even asked for forgiveness then doesn���t he deserve a chance?��� asked Mr Singhvi. In Raja Ram Pal���s defence the party said that ���there was no case���, and that the crime was not a henious one.

The party which has made a great deal about probity in public life has fielded several candidates, such as Sadhu Yadav, who have failed to live up to those standards. Congress has argued that winnability is the key factor when it comes to deciding on candidates.