India, March 30 -- 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 in Malappuram district, 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 inte...