MALAPPURAM: Taking time off his busy election campaign schedule, UDF’s Nilambur candidate Aryadan Shoukath speaks to the TNIE. Excerpts...
Your candidature was announced under controversial circumstances, with V S Joy staking claim, and amid challenges raised by P V Anvar. Your thoughts...
That’s just a confusion created by the media. There’s no confusion among us. I visit every campaign centre with the same V S Joy you mentioned. The rest are just stories.
After the announcement of the bypoll and the candidate, there were many controversies within the UDF camp, such as Rahul Mamkootathil’s visit to Anvar’s house. Those aren’t stories...
This election is about the miserable situation of Kerala and the dire situation in Nilambur. Many deliberate efforts are being made to divert the discussion from that. None of that is of any use here.
There are allegations that you held talks with the CPM to become the LDF candidate...
(Before the question could be completed) All of that is in the answer I gave earlier. It’s all stories.
Do you still stand by your previous statements against the Muslim League and the Panakkad Thangal family?
(Pointing to the League and Congress followers) The flags you see are the answer to all that.
Politically, what are the issues the UDF is raising?
The struggle is against the miserable rule of the LDF government for the past nine years. Kerala is experiencing a difficult situation, of misrule. People see this as an opportunity to react precisely. Every place I go to, everyone shares that sentiment. Not only that, there are hundreds of problems like inflation, increase in water and electricity charges, and a shortage of medicines.
There appears to be no solution. Every day, many people suffer from wild animal attacks. In Nilambur itself, many people have been killed. No solution has been found yet. There will be a huge public sentiment against it.
How crucial will the Anvar factor be?
This contest is between the LDF and the UDF. Nothing else is a factor.
The BJP, which initially said it won’t contest, has finally come up with a candidate. Do you feel there’s any agenda behind it?
Of course. There’s a very clear LDF-BJP agenda in Kerala. Just think about it. There was a situation where a national party, which had been fielding a candidate since the 1970s, even considered not contesting in Nilambur. Then, we came to know that the BJP candidate was fielded because of everyone’s insistence. Anyway, it is clear evidence of a great bond between the BJP and the CPM.