MANGALURU: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which had till now remained a fringe element in Dakshina Kannada district, appears to be steadily making inroads into the communally-sensitive district. If the large turnout at the party’s recent convention in Mangaluru is any indication, then people in the district, especially Muslims who constitute more than 20 per cent of the electorate, appear to be seeing the party as a possible alternative to Congress to take on BJP and RSS.
There is a strong feeling among a section of Muslims here that Congress did not seriously take up their causes on hijab and Malali mosque row, fearing desertion by Hindu voters. The pro-hijab students had expressed their anger against former minister UT Khader, the Congress’ Muslim face in the district. SDPI and its student wing, Campus Front of India, grabbed the opportunity.
With Congress taking calculated risks when it comes to communally sensitive issues, it is SDPI along with CPI(M) (which also held a convention in Mangaluru recently to highlight issues concerning Muslims) which are seen to be taking up people’s causes more vigorously. Shahul Hameed, president, minority wing, DK District Congress Committee, does not feel that the party has done any injustice to the community. He said the party did not aim for any political dividends from communally sensitive issues and maintained that the party, instead, tried to solve them. To neutralise the SDPI’s attempts to project Congress as peddling soft Hindutva, Hameed said that such attacks on Congress will benefit BJP by splitting secular votes.
SDPI DK president Aboobakkar Kulai said Congress accusing his party of splitting secular votes is an old strategy. “Congress has failed as a strong opposition and has been unable to take up people’s causes. That is why people are looking at SDPI as an alternative,” he said.
Dr Chandra Poojary, political commentator, said unlike BJP, which is pursuing Hindutva politics, Congress used secularism as just a byproduct. “That may have led some Congress supporters to shift loyalties to SDPI. But it will benefit SDPI in elections in the long run and not immediately, he added.