‘Criminal’ office-bearer in Rahul Gandhi’s IYC?

‘Criminal’ office-bearer in Rahul Gandhi’s IYC?

A flurry of e-mails and SMSes from an Indian Youth Congress (IYC) member alleging irregularities in the elections of the youth wing of the ruling Congress has created a flutter among the national office-bearers of the organisation.

“Irritated” by the volley of mails and SMSs, the IYC member — Ravinjay Kulkarni from Bidar in Karnataka — has been warned against sending them and threatened that his performance would be marked “negative” otherwise.

Objecting to the election of the Bidar Lok Sabha constituency IYC president Anand Devappa last month, Kulkarni wrote letters to the Congress’ youth wing national president Rajeev Satav and KJ Rao of Foundation for Advanced Management of Elections (FAME), which is organising the elections.

Failing to get any response from the two, Kulkarni then devised a method to remind all the 19 national office-bearers of IYC by sending “Good Morning”, “Good Afternoon”, “Good Evening” and “Good Night” SMSs to them. Kulkarni alleged that on November 25, IYC secretary Mahendran called him up and warned him against sending the SMSs as they were irritating the office-bearers.

Kulkarni also accused Mahendran of cautioning him that his performance would be marked negative if he did not stop sending the texts and e-mails. Taking exception to the warning, Kulkarni has posted an open letter to the office bearers on the IYC website expressing his grievances.

Kulkarni said if his e-mails and SMSes irritated the office-bearers then what action would they take against the election of a “criminal” (Devappa). He alleged that Devappa has threatened him with life for raising the issue.

“It seems you are going to lay this ‘buniyaad’ (foundation) at the IYC’s national convention on November 28 and November 29,” Kulkarni has written in his open letter raising grave questions over the claims of free and fair elections. He was referring to the two-day IYC convention ‘Buniyaad’ held here. As things stand, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has claimed that the elections for the IYC office bearers have been conducted in a free and fair manner.

The IYC member has alleged that the elections were “managed” in favour of Devappa who has several cases of murders and attempts to murder pending against him.

Biswaranjan Mohanty, IYC in charge of Karnataka, said though Kulkarni’s letter was forwarded to FAME’s Inquiry Committee and he was informed about it, he kept sending mails and SMSs to the office-bearers. “I told Kulkarni not to worry as the matter is being taken care of,” Mohanty told The Pioneer.

He said though he had received his mail he did not have time to reply as he does not have time to reply to the five lakh members in the State.