‘This result will change direction of politics in 2019’
BIG WIN RLD leader who fought with the backing of Congress, SP and BSP says she will work towards ending communal animosity
MEERUT: The Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Tabassum Hasan stunned the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mriganka Singh on Thursday in the by-election to the Kairana Lok Sabha seat. She also won the seat in 2009 as a candidate of the Bahujan Samaj Party, switching to the Samajwadi Party in 2015. This year, she joined the RLD after the party entered an alliance with the SP and fought the Kairana by-election with the backing of the Congress, SP and BSP. In an interview with S Raju about her victory, Hasan , 47,said she would work towards ending communal animosity. Excerpts:
They (BJP) have been exposed and people understand their design. They divide people on religious and communal lines and also tried to vitiate atmosphere here.
Whom would you give credit for your victory?
I express my gratitude to voters of the constituency who expressed faith in me. I thank my party leaders Ajit Singh and Jayant Chaudhary, who really worked hard during the campaign. I also thank Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi and all those who supported me.
In western UP, elections are largely fought on communal lines but this factor did not work this time. Why?
The BJP have been exposed and people understand their design. They divide people on religious and communal lines and also tried to vitiate atmosphere here. They raised the issue of Jinnah, which had nothing to do with Kairana. When nothing worked, on the day of the election, they tampered with the EVMS (electronic voting machines). I demand that EVMS should not be used in any election. (The reference to Jinnah is in the context of demands for the removal of a portrait of Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah from the premises of Aligarh Muslim University).
After the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013, how did the RLD manage to bring the Jats and Muslims together on a common platform?
The Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 were the handiwork of some forces for political gains. The BJP has been exposed and people now understand how its leaders divide them. This brought people together to teach them a lesson.
What message will your victory hold for 2019 Lok Sabha elections?
The Kairana victory will infuse fresh vigour in the proposed ‘grand alliance’ (of opposition parties) and it will surely change the direction of politics in 2019. I will try to end communal hatred and bitterness among the people..