After months of hectic parleys, bitter rivals Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) recently arrived at a seat-sharing understanding for Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, and Chandigarh in a bid to defeat the BJP. With elections to be announced soon and parties launching their poll campaign, in an interview with Deepak Babariya, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Delhi and Haryana, Jaison Wilson discusses the new alliance, its strategy, EVM and other issues. Excerpts:
What was the response of ground workers when Congress announced an alliance with the AAP?
Congress workers might have several reservations against the AAP, and the same can be said of the latter, but to fight against the BJP’s nefarious politics, both parties decided to iron out their differences and join hands. Our only objective is to dethrone the BJP from the Centre.
How are your preparations?
We are well prepared. We will campaign hard to ensure that all anti-BJP votes are cast and don’t split. That’s why we are campaigning for a high voting percentage.
Your poll promise to the people of Delhi?
There are three main promises...We will not make anybody homeless by bulldozing their houses. If the government needs land, the people living in slums or on unauthorised land will first systematically be shift to another place. The second promise is to ensure the safety of all residents, irrespective of their caste, creed, or religion. The administration and the police will be fully responsible and accountable for any lapse in law and order. The last promise is not to hamper any resident’s daily earnings, especially self-employed people who struggle day and night for their livelihood.
Any other guarantees?
We will try to focus more on education and health care. Efforts will be made to ensure that every citizen has access to quality and affordable education from primary to PhD, and no child will be deprived of this due to financial constraints. In health, we will provide medical insurance of Rs 15 lakh per annum and Rs 10 lakh per annum in Delhi and Haryana.
How do you see Rahul Gandhi as a leader?
A good leader responds to the urge and feelings of the common man. And I give full marks to Rahul Gandhi. The second quality of a leader is bravery. I have noticed him closely and discussed various issues many times. He is unafraid even of death. Several times, he has received death threats. A leader should be compassionate, a believer and understanding.
What is the achievement of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra?
Against the narratives of polarisation and religious hate, Yatra proved that the citizens of this country want to live in a peaceful society full of love and affection. As Rahul Gandhi said, people want “Mohabbat ki Dukan,” and I think it is the greatest achievement that Yatra has achieved. The popularity that Rahul Gandhi received by raising people’s issues is somewhat similar to what his father, Rajiv Gandhi, enjoyed.
Except for Telangana, why did Congress face a defeat in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh?
The results of Telangana and Karnataka proved Congress’s popularity. Sensing danger, the BJP manipulated the election results of three assemblies, where all psephologists, poll agencies, media, political analysts, and even a few BJP leaders predicted that the saffron party would lose with very heavy margins. Instead, the BJP formed the government with a two-thirds majority, which has alarmed the people of this country.
What do you mean by manipulations?
After the assembly poll results, we began EVM Hatao Desh Bachao (remove EVM, bring ballot) agitation. We spearheaded “Meri Parchi Mere Haath (ballot by my hand)”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to set the narrative through the media about the 400 seats claim. They (BJP) are afraid of Rahul Gandhi, who had walked 4,000 km with the common man and heard their grievances. The poor are being subjected to various kinds of subjugation. But the greatest strength of democracy is that whenever anyone tries to overpower, there’s still a weapon: their voting right. We have seen this in history. Many politicians had bowed to the votes of the common man. However, that right has also been taken away by manipulating the election system.
When you say EVMs are manipulated, then how come Congress came to power in some states?
They (BJP) are leaving those States by design and not by default. This creates a misconception among people that EVMs are working properly. During the Second World War, Britain decoded Germany’s telegraph language. To keep them unaware, Britain allowed Germans to keep sending the messages. It was their design. The same thing is key to misleading the opposition parties and the people. If you look back, they (BJP) gave the slogan Congress Mukt Bharat. This was part of their design. In some states, they (BJP) had the least support but still managed to win. For example, in Manipur, BJP had 2% support, but a vote share of 34% was recorded. The same happened in Tripura and Mizoram. Across the world, countries like the United States, UK, Belgium, France, Germany and Japan, where EVMs were invented, have replaced them and returned to the ballot system.
How do you see the rise of BJP in South India and Kerala?
It is not a natural rise. They (BJP) are inducing the people, bribing, threatening and even trying to rig the elections. You can see how the BJP uses regional parties and chewing them away later.
Your view on farmers’ protest?
For two years, farmers protested on Delhi’s borders. More than 700 farmers died. And despite that, the government did not fulfil the promises. They have no other option left.