A section of BJP workers had come out against your candidature. Is there still opposition to your candidature in the BJP camp?
A: Some of the BJP workers might have been disappointed with my candidature as they were waiting for a party candidate in Sultan Bathery. Though the issue had affected our campaign initially, the problem has been solved. Now, BJP workers are actively taking part in campaigning.
The main allegation is that you chose to re-enter the NDA fold to get a seat...that too after having cheated the alliance earlier?
A: We had quit the NDA only because of the BJP leadership’s failure to fulfil our demands for a Rajya Sabha seat and posts in corporations and other institutions coming under the Centre.
What prompted you to go in for a tie-up with the NDA this time?
A: This time, we were clear about our demands as a coalition partner. After the BJP leadership gave an assurance on all our demands, we decided to join the NDA.
The BJP is seen as anti-Dalit. Do you feel any ideological differences with the saffron front?
A: Not only the BJP, but all the other mainstream political parties in Kerala are anti-Dalit. We had tried to enter the LDF fold but the Left parties weren’t interested. The UDF too remained non-cooperative. The BJP-led NDA was the only major front willing to accommodate a Dalit party and so we went in for a poll truck despite our ideological differences.
Are the ideological differences likely to have an impact in future?
A: Right from the beginning, we made it clear that Janadhipathiya Rashtriya Sabha (JRS) does stands for Dalits. If we stay away from entering any political front owing to ideological differences, the Dalit sections will never get representation in the law-making bodies.