As seat sharing arrangements are emerging within the INDIA alliance with the Congress sealing deals with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Samajwadi Party, a new challenge has emerged in the form of Annie Raja who has been fielded by the Communist Party of India (CPI) from Kerala’s Wayanad — the seat that Rahul Gandhi currently represents.
While the Congress is yet to announce candidates, both CPI and CPI(M) leaders have earlier raised objections about Gandhi contesting from Wayanad, saying that it could affect the opposition fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In an interview with The Wire, Raja said that it is the Congress that has to decide whether it wants to fight the BJP or the Left forces and she hopes that “good sense will prevail.”
“I am saying, it is for the Congress to see, it is their prerogative. They are an independent party and we are an independent party,” she said. “We have announced our candidates and we are contesting to win seats because we need to be at the forefront of the fight against fascist forces. Now it is for the Congress to decide, they can put any candidate that is their right but we hope that good sense will prevail.”
Raja added that the Congress has to decide whether they want allies at the centre or want to contest allies in Kerala.
“Now whether they want to allow somebody from Kerala to contest seats or they want to bring their top level leaders to defeat Left forces, that is for the Congress to decide,” she said.
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While Raja has been working at the party’s organisational level for over four decades within the party and serves as the general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), this will be her electoral debut.
Raja said that if the INDIA alliance is able to settle seat sharing arrangements in an “amicable” way, the bloc can see “favourable results” in the elections.
In the interview below, Raja’s responses have been lightly edited for language and brevity.
You are making your electoral debut this time from Wayanad. How did you decide to take up this new role and your reaction to this new responsibility?
For the last 40-45 years my party has given me organisational responsibility and to mobilise women across the country. Now the party has decided to give me a new responsibility and as a disciplined party cadre I have accepted the party’s decision. I feel proud that the party has acknowledged my contribution and work and it is a recognition for me. There are many women leaders in Kerala but the party has taken a decision that I must contest which is a great honour for me.
Congress’s Rahul Gandhi is the sitting MP from Wayanad, while CPI and CPI(M) are in alliance with the Congress as a part of the INDIA bloc. With your party announcing candidates first, is this a message to the Congress to field Gandhi from elsewhere?
You see the situation in the country is very grim and the challenge before the country and the people is very grave. All the pillars of democracy are being weakened by the fascist forces-the BJP-RSS regime at the centre. We are not even sure-with the way things are going and how the ethos of this country is being destroyed-if there will be elections again in the country. At such a juncture any party which is sincerely wishing to save this country and democracy and secularism must try to unite.
In Kerala it has always been LDF versus UDF. The 2019 elections was when Rahul Gandhi last defeated a CPI candidate. So what does the Congress party want? Do they want more allies to prevent and resist fascist forces coming to power once again or do they want to defeat the communists and leftists of the country? The Congress should answer this question.
For us, it is not the question of one seat here another seat there. This will definitely mean that we will try our level best and even if it demands a supreme sacrifice we are ready. Nobody can purchase us, nobody can terrorise us with agencies. This is the Left ideology.
Whether Congress would prefer such allies with them at the centre or they want to defeat left forces, is upto them. See what is happening in Himachal Pradesh. They should be really worried about all these things instead of having to defeat the Left forces in the country.
Earlier both CPI and CPI(M) have said that Rahul Gandhi should not contest from Wayanad and that it could affect the opposition’s fight against the BJP. Do you think it would be better for Gandhi then to not contest from Wayanad now that you are contesting from there?
I am saying, it is for the Congress to see, it is their prerogative. They are an independent party and we are an independent party.
We have announced our candidates and we are contesting to win seats because we need to be at the forefront of the fight against fascist forces. Now it is for the Congress to decide, they can put any candidate that is their right but we hope that good sense will prevail.
If multiple candidates are fielded from the INDIA alliance, how do you see that affecting the unity of the INDIA bloc-could there be disenchantments arising due to this within the alliance?
When the INDIA alliance was emerging and debates and discussions were going on among alliance partners two things were clear-one, that the alliance will be according to prevailing existing situation at the state level. Number two, everyone agreed including Congress that in Kerala the two fronts LDF and UDF will be contesting. So it was very clear.
Now whether they want to allow somebody from Kerala to contest seats or they want to bring their top level leaders to defeat Left forces, that is for Congress to decide.
There have been hiccups in seat sharing arrangements in the INDIA alliance, whether it is in Bihar where JD(U) has left or in West Bengal where TMC has declined to tie up with Congress or in Punjab where alliance partners AAP and Congress will fight separately. Will we see a similar path being chalked out in Kerala now with independent fights?
These are all independent parties with different ideologies and positions on different issues. So it is natural when we talk about alliances, parties may think differently. Through dialogue, discussion and debate that can be sorted out, that is what we are seeing now.
Earlier there was an impression that there would be no alliance between INDIA partners but that is in the past now and now alliances are being formed. And in the coming days I hope the INDIA alliance partners can solve it amicably.
How do you see the prospects of the INDIA alliance in the upcoming elections?
We are hopeful that we will manage to reach out to the people. What the Modi government is saying and what the reality is completely different. In a way you are betraying the people of this country with all these claims of economic growth and development. Prime minister is negating the caste hierarchy in this country and wants to brush caste discrimination under the carpet. He said I have only four or five castes-women, youth, kisan. And what is he doing with farmers? They have asked for a very simple demand and the government is not fulfilling its promises and there is no intention to fulfil the MSP demands of farmers.
When he speaks about the youth-what is the employment situation in our country? It is true they are employing thousands and lakhs for their social media but what about government jobs?
You are privatising all public sector undertakings and diminishing the chances of Dalits and tribals to get into the government sector are all realities. If INDIA alliance partners go to the people with this reality, we are hopeful that the people too will tell us about their situation.
If the alliance is settled in an amicable way, together if we go to the people we can definitely see favourable results for the INDIA alliance.
