“Students of the same teacher are called ‘Guru Bhai’. My relationship with Kejriwal ji is because of jail. I have come back from there. He has come out of Tihar jail, but will have to go back again,” Kumar said.
He appealed to the voters to vote for the INDIA bloc by means of the slogan — “haath mein jhaadu hai is bar” — referring to the alliance between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress.
Delhi is scheduled to vote 25 May. With just over 10 days left, Kumar kick-started his campaign Saturday from the Congress and AAP stronghold in Mustafabad, which has a large share of Muslim voters. He held two public meetings in the area, which was among the worst-affected areas during the communal riots in northeast Delhi in 2020.
“This election is not about electing a PM or an MP; it is a fight for our existence, to save our Constitution and democracy… Desh mein jo tanashahi hai, hum use muh tod jawab dena chahte hai (we want have to give a befitting reply to the dictatorship in the country),” said Kumar during his first public meeting in Brijpuri municipal ward, which was organised by Congress workers in the densely populated neighbourhood.
The second one in another Mustafabad municipal ward was also organised by the Congress. While the AAP and the Congress are contesting together in Delhi, no senior AAP leader was present at the meetings. Only a few AAP workers were in attendance. Mustafabad’s AAP MLA Haji Yunus said that he and other senior leaders were busy with Kejriwal’s roadshow.
While many in the Congress were not happy with Kumar’s candidature, party leaders say that everyone is now working together towards a “larger goal”. The party has appointed its general secretary Sachin Pilot as the constituency’s observer for the election season after several leaders within the party opposed Kumar’s candidature. Local Congress leaders are helping him, but it is his friends from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, who are planning and managing his election campaign along with the AAP and the Congress workers.
The two meetings saw a huge turnout that ran into hundreds, as opposed to the usual turnout of 100-200 in similar corner meetings. Many stood on their balconies and rooftops to watch Kumar speak. Youngsters, who came in large numbers, tried to take selfies and told him that they had seen him only on social media until then.
Kumar remarked that unlike the sitting Bharatiya Janata Party MP — Manoj Tiwari — the people will get to see him regularly if he is elected.
Projected as Congress’ Purvanchali face in Delhi, Kumar is pitted against Tiwari, popular Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician and two-term MP from the constituency. With the AAP and the Congress contesting together, it is going to be a close contest in North East Delhi, which has a massive Muslim and Dalit vote bank.
Kumar, who is new to the constituency, called Tiwari an “absentee MP”, referring to the condition of roads, traffic, law and order, among other issues in the densely populated constituency, which has over 24 lakh voters.
Addressing the public at Brijpuri, he said that after four years, communal riots cannot be an issue in the elections, as people constantly complain of the lack of development.
The lack of infrastructure is a key issue for the people of Brijpuri. The arterial road, which divides the Hindu and Muslim-dominated neighbourhoods, has been dotted with piles of silt for days, according to local residents.
“Traffic congestion is a major issue in the area. But little has been done in the past few years. They all come and promise the same, but do nothing. People now want change,” said Shabnam, a resident.
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“Attempt to scuttle opposition’s voice”
Kumar said that BJP’s attempts to divide the society will pay no dividends, as he is confident that people will vote it out of power to save the Constitution and the country.
“They think that they can jail democracy. They put opposition (leaders), youth, and students who dare to question them behind bars. We have seen your prisons. But they should remember that people will come together to save the Constitution, the country and democracy,” said the former JNU Students Union president amid loud cheers by supporters.
Attacking the BJP regime, Kumar referred to the incident in Gujarat’s Dahod, where the son of a local BJP leader live-streamed on social media from inside a polling booth, and Surat where, he said, voters “didn’t even get the option to vote”.
On Congress’s stance on the issues of unemployment and inflation, Kumar said that the Modi government has waived off loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore for his friends (read, indurtrialists). He promised that loans by students will be waived off, if the Congress comes to power.
“They waive off loans of Ambani and Adani… students of poor families aren’t getting jobs, but Union home minister’s son (Jay Shah) has become the BCCI secretary,” he said, as people shouted slogans in support of Congress.
Promise to address local issues
In Brijpuri, battered roads, overflowing sewers, traffic jams, dimly lit bylanes are the key issues for the residents this time, even though the “divisive politics” of the BJP remain a point of debate.
“This area has seen communal tensions. Though things have returned to normal now, a lot has changed between people. The communal riots of 2020 are not an election issue. But the divisive statements by the BJP, especially what the PM said about reservation to Muslims, will only divide the people,” said Mohammad Hassan, a resident in attendance at the second meeting near Dilshad Masjid.
While he accused the Modi government of “dictatorship”, Kumar tried to connect with locals, especially women, by discussing the key problems, besides law and order.
Referring to the condition of infrastructure and lack of amenities in the constituency, he said that there are “two Delhis”. “There is one Delhi where MPs, ministers and your MP Manoj Tiwari stay. The other Delhi is where you stay. There is a stark difference in these areas,” he remarked.
Taking a jibe at Tiwari, Kumar said that the MP will be seen there a lot more in the next 10 days, as compared to the last 10 years.
While he has accused Tiwari of doing little for the area, the Congress youth leader has been targeted by the MP for being on a “40-day tour of the constituency”. Tiwari has been campaigning since March, but Kumar’s campaign has just started.
Admitting that there is less time left, Kumar appealed to the locals to campaign for him. “I’m the poorest candidate in Delhi. There are 24 lakh votes, and just 10 days left. You will have to campaign for me,” he said, addressing a large gathering at the Dilshad Masjid area in Mustafabad.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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