Malappuram (Kerala) | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday termed the alleged seat-for-cash controversy linked to Congress in the Haryana Assembly elections as "extremely serious" and demanded the party leadership respond to the charges.

Addressing reporters here, Vijayan said allegations have surfaced that senior Congress leaders and their close aides had allegedly sought huge sums of money from aspirants for party tickets.

He asked why the party leadership was remaining silent despite the gravity of the claims.

"If the allegations are baseless, why is the Congress not ready to initiate legal action?" he asked, adding that reports emerging from within decision-making levels of the party point to a lack of internal transparency.

The chief minister also questioned whether electoral candidacies, which should be based on political activities and commitment, were being made as mere things that could be bought with money.

Giving poll tickets based on financial capacity undermines democratic equality and idea-based politics, he said, adding that such practices destroy the aspirations of ordinary party workers.

Accusing the Congress of double standards, Vijayan said the party, which often raises allegations against others, was maintaining silence over corruption charges within its own ranks.

"This is not merely a controversy, but an issue concerning the ethical foundations of politics. People deserve to know whether party tickets are being given based on ideology or money," the CM asked.

Vijayan's strong remarks came days after the Delhi Police registered an FIR in connection with an alleged ticket-for-money case involving persons linked to the Congress.

The case stems from a complaint filed by a Haryana-based man who said that he was asked to pay large sums of money to secure an election ticket for his wife, the Delhi police said on Friday.

AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal, on Sunday, alleged that the case registered against him and other Congress leaders over the cash-for-election-ticket allegation in Haryana was a “BJP-CPI(M) sponsored” move.

The complainant claimed that payments were made through multiple bank accounts as well as in cash over a period of time.

Police had said the FIR has been registered and an investigation is underway to verify the claims and examine the financial trail, including bank transactions and cash exchanges.