Traffic, drainage, crimes against women .... I know the issues in North East Delhi better than the incumbent MP, Manoj Tiwari
NEW DELHI: From a student leader at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Kanhaiya Kumar has come a long way. He is contesting his second Lok Sabha elections, from North East Delhi constituency. He spoke to HT’s Vrinda
Tulsian about his political journey and the issues in the constituency. Edited excerpts:
Arvind Kejriwal is out on bail. How do you feel about it?
This is very good news; it will positively impact the Delhi elections. I would just say there is no need to panic for the people NDA... You have to pay for what you do. If you want to throttle democracy in this country, you should remember that Gandhi, Ambedkar, and Nehru made this country and the citizens and this country are democratic. This is just the beginning.
You and Manoj Tiwari are both from Bihar but you are termed an outsider. Why?
I am a Bihari. Hearing the word ‘outsider’ as a Bihari is not new to me… As soon as we take the train and the Bihar border ends… we get called “outsiders”. I don’t take this as an allegation. This is my truth and I will proudly live it.
Is there pressure within the party? Are the workers upset with your ticket?
Why will there be pressure? If I am an outsider here, where was Modi ji born… was he born in Varanasi? Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to fight elections from Balrampur, Sushma Swaraj ji fought from Karnataka, and LK Advani fought elections from Lucknow. This is not the matter of any one party. Manoj Tiwari himself is not from here. Why does this ‘outsider’ debate happen in politics?
What are the constituency demands according to you? Especially considering how North East Delhi is so underdeveloped?
I know more than Manoj Tiwari ji what the real situation is. If it is about who came to Delhi first,
I arrived much before him. He was contesting elections in 2009 against Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur. I was in Mukherjee Nagar in 2009. The question is what has the MP of the party done in 10 years? See the conditions of Chauhan Basti and Kadipur village... This constituency was covered with tarpaulin during G20... BJP and Manoj Tiwari were so ashamed of the people that they covered them up.
How do the challenges differ in Delhi compared to Begusarai?
The geography is different and the demography is different so obviously, there are differences but there are similarities too — people in Begusarai and North East Delhi are struggling with inflation and, unemployment.
You mentioned you don’t have funds. What does campaigning look like for you till May 25?
We will contest the elections with the support of people through crowdfunding... we will fight for the people with their backing. This approach follows the Gandhian way...
JNU to Begusarai to Delhi, you finish 10 years in politics next year. How do you reflect on this journey?
I came to Delhi to become a collector but ended up pursuing a doctorate. Then I went to jail… Despite my intentions to become a teacher, I found myself drawn to politics... my journey has been far from what I envisioned. Yet, I remain grounded in my beliefs, principles, and lessons I’ve gleaned from society.