Karti Chidambaram backs internal polls in Congress, but sets condition

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday appeared to back comments by former party chief Rahul Gandhi on the need for internal democracy in the party.

In a conversation with Kaushik Basu, professor at Cornell University and India's former chief economic adviser, Rahul Gandhi said he is all for internal democracy in the Congress, which fought for India's independence, gave the country its Constitution and stood for equality.

Taking to Twitter, Karti Chidambaram said internal elections were needed in the Congress, but he argued that this should be done by a "defined electoral college".

Karti tweeted, "We need internal elections in the @INCIndia But by a defined electoral college. A distinction must be made btwn members & sympathisers. Only committed members should be part of the electoral college. Right to vote can’t be indiscriminate, it’s a privilege that has to be earned."

Speaking to News 18 after his tweet on the issue, Karti Chidambaram argued, "Rahul Gandhi is the most accepted and universal leader of the Congress party. He needs to believe that the party has great regards for him. The right to vote in party elections can be defined, but it needs to have criteria."