A political row intensified on Sunday over alleged cash-for-election tickets in Haryana, with senior Congress leader KC Venugopal dismissing the case against him as a politically motivated move, while Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed the allegations serious and sought a response from the Congress leadership.Venugopal, reacting to an FIR filed by the Delhi Police in connection with alleged bribery for Assembly tickets, claimed the complaint was part of a   coordinated attempt involving the BJP and CPM. He questioned why an earlier petition submitted to the Kerala authorities did not lead to any probe, suggesting selective action.Maintaining that he had done nothing wrong, the Congress general secretary said he was open to any investigation and had no reason to be concerned. He also accused the Kerala Government of acting out of political anxiety ahead of elections, alleging that criticism from the state leadership was selectively targeted.Taking a swipe at the ruling dispensation in Kerala, Venugopal said the Chief Minister avoided strongly criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, choosing instead to target the Congress.On the other hand, Vijayan raised questions over the integrity of the ticket allocation process within the Congress, asking why the party had not acted decisively if the allegations were unfounded. He said reports suggested that aspirants were allegedly asked to pay large sums for nominations, which, if true, undermined democratic values.The CM said distributing tickets based on financial strength rather than political work weakens internal democracy and sidelines committed party workers. He also accused the Congress of inconsistency, saying it frequently targets others on corruption, but remains silent when facing similar allegations.The controversy follows an FIR registered by Delhi Police based on a complaint by a Haryana resident, who alleged he was asked to arrange substantial funds to secure a ticket for his wife. According to the police, the case involves alleged transactions through bank accounts and cash, and an investigation is underway to verify the claims and track the financial trail.