SDPI is emerging as the alternative force beyond BJP and Congress: DK SDPI candidate Ilyas Thumbe
Exclusive interview with Vartha Bharati
Mangaluru: Ilyas Muhammed Thumbe, who has served as the Karnataka State President and National Secretary of PFI, SDPI National General Secretary and State President, is now the SDPI’s candidate from Dakshina Kannada Constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha Election.
Among the 28 constituencies of the state, the party has fielded its candidate from only one constituency. Vartha Bharati caught up with Thumbe, who is preparing for the second round of his public rallies. Below are the excerpts from Vartha Bharati’s interview with Thumbe.
How has been the response of voters to your campaigns so far?
The response has been beyond our expectations. The youth community and the young voters are wise. They have the understanding of ground reality. Right from the day my nomination was announced at the SDPI Conference on March 17, we began our campaign. We have been actively campaigning on social media, we have been visiting homes for door to door campaigning trying to convey the message to the people as to why SDPI is in this electoral battle.
With Dakshina Kannada being the BJP’s bastion and this election having its own significance, there are rumors in the public that SDPI has joined hands with BJP to divide the minority votes and defeat Congress?
SDPI did not contest from this constituency for 23 years, yet the Congress could not win in the constituency. So if the SDPI is contesting this time how will it make a difference for them all of a sudden? SDPI did not contest in the 2018 assembly elections, yet Congress lost 7 out of 8 constituencies. Why? The Congress is wearing the mask of being a secular party but it doesn’t have any attributes of a secular party. It doesn’t have the courage and power to confront BJP. I can’t understand why SDPI should not contest election, this is a democracy and anybody can contest the election. We have not announced candidates from 27 other constituencies in order to keep the communal forces away, but Congress accusing us is a sign of desperation in their camp. In fact, the Congress has got into an agreement with the BJP.
There were calls for fielding a Muslim candidate from Congress here. Suppose if the Congress would have given the ticket to Muslim candidate, what would have been SDPI’s stand?
Not just Muslim candidate, we would have supported a Christian candidate from here as well. There were discussions within Congress in this regard so we waited for any such development in their camp. But when the chances looked bleak of any such candidature of Muslim or Christian we went ahead and announced my candidature from the constituency. We are now reaching out to voters through our own network with door to door campaigning.
What would you say about the BJP and Congress’ candidates from the constituency?
Everyone knows that BJP candidate Nalin Kumar Kateel has done nothing for the district in the last two-terms which he won. There is no point in re-electing an incompetent parliamentarian who cannot raise issues of the district in the parliament. If he wins again, it will be a great loss for the district. Congress candidate Mithun Rai has criminal charges against him. He was involved in physical scuffle with his own partymen during a party conference and has never been involved in any social struggle. He also doesn’t even have political experience to and his elevation for the candidature has upset many of the senior Congress leaders. All this will have an impact on the results of the election.
Congress with a new face as its candidate is expected to give strong competition to the BJP?
No not at all. Congress might have fielded a young, new face in the election but he can’t give a run to the BJP. In the Dakshina Kannada constituency only SDPI can give fight to the BJP. We will show our power to the Congress and BJP who are spreading anti-propaganda against us.
Amidst the battle between two major political parties Congress and BJP will people favor SDPI?
BJP emotionally deceives the voters while Congress has masked itself as a secular party. People are upset with what BJP has done and it is unlikely that Congress will win. But we are emerging as an alternative political force beyond these two. We are fighting against police violence, social issues, and fundamental rights and are not involved in hypocritical politics. So we are any-day different from Congress and BJP.
Can SDPI be an alternate for a major political party like Congress?
Yes it can be. SDPI candidate in 2014 polls received 27,254 votes. But this time the scenario and the picture are different. People are talking about SDPI everywhere. Congress party workers and activists are joining SDPI and they are involved completely in our campaigns.
The impression of the SDPI among people is that of it being a Muslims’ party. How true is that?
Muslim activists and leaders might be in more numbers in the SDPI, but SDPI is not a Muslim party. We also have a large number of Christians and Dalits in the party. The Congress has over the years only considered Muslims and Dalits as a vote bank. Nothing has been done for the welfare and development of these communities. Congress has issued only one ticket to Muslim candidate out of 28 constituencies while there are large numbers of Muslim voters in Dakshina Kannada, Bidar, Haveri, Raichur and Bijapur all of which were ignored while distributing tickets.
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Integrity of electoral process severely compromised, Cong to soon launch movement: CWC
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Working Committee met here on Friday and adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised against which the party would soon launch a movement.
In the resolution of the top body of the Congress, the party said free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that was being called into "serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission".
The CWC, which met amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, said the session has been a washout so far because of the Narendra Modi government's "stubborn refusal" to have an immediate discussion on three pressing national issues -- "the recent revelations regarding corruption by a business group, and the violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal".
Asked why the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution does not name the business group, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The answer is the Adani group".
"The CWC believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission.
"Increasing sections of society are becoming frustrated and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take these up these public concerns as a national movement," the resolution stated.
Addressing a joint press conference along with Ramesh and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, party general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party discussed the political situation in the country for four-and-half hours and adopted the resolution.
He said the CWC has decided to constitute internal committees to look into electoral performance and organisational matters.
About the Assembly polls results in Maharashtra, Venugopal said the electoral outcome in the state was "beyond normal understanding and it appears to be a clear case of targeted manipulation".
