By Mohd. Ismail Khan and Shaik Zakeer Hussain, TwoCircles.net,
Bengaluru: ‘I can cast my vote for them, but will they win?’, ‘They are a new party, they cannot challenge mighty old politicians’, ‘They seem committed, made lot of good assurances, but I feel scare of wasting my vote, feared of seeing community votes get divided’, ‘There leaders are educated but cadres doesn’t seem much.’
These are the reactions, divided and often confused, that TCN team got every time we talked to the people on street on the electoral prospects of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), where they are contesting the Assembly elections for the first time.
After its formation in 2009, Karnataka was among the first states which got a state unit in 2010. Just three year old in Karnataka it has made some remarkable performance and for a party which claims to stand on agitative politics it was a boost.
Months after state unit’s formation, party contested gram panchyat elections. 474 of its candidates contested in 244 wards of 118 Gram panchayaths, and the party won 68 seats, 39 alone in Dakshin Kannada and 13 seats in Udupi, two most communalized districts in Karnataka.
In a recent local bodies election last March, SDPI fielded 204 candidates, and won 17 seats, and came second on 18 seats. Its candidate in Mangalore even defeated the sitting mayor.
After Panchayat and Muncipal councils, SDPI is eyeing on making a mark in this assembly elections, to present itself as a formidable force in the state. Party is contesting on 24 Assembly segments in alliance with Bahujan Samajh Party (BSP).
Battle for existence? Campaign is in full swing by SDPI cadres for the Karnataka Assembly elections.
Have support of Muslim organizations, Dalit organizations and even churches:
Even though Karnataka Muslim Muttahida Mahaz, an umbrella body of 28 Muslim organizations have declared support to the Congress party, but SDPI state leaders claim that many other Muslim organizations have openly declared support to their party, and some are supporting at local level. As they are already in an alliance with BSP in the state, Dalit organizations are backing them, and some Christian organizations including some churches are supporting their party’s cause.
With the support and ground work SDPI hopes to give a tough fight in 10 assembly constituencies and are expected to give substantial fight in other 14. But party functionary reiterates that they are in the competition to win the seats not to play a role of vote spoilers.
The all-out fights are from Dakshina Kanada district where party has fielded 7 candidates, Bangalore where Party has 5 candidates and Narshimaraja constituency of Tanveer Sait former minister and three times MLA, giving competition to him is Karnataka party unit president Abdul Majeed.
A banner of SDPI giving details about party and their agenda.
Social party with Socialist view:
SDPI state unit is fighting this election my making their slogan freedom from hunger, freedom from fear a core issue. According to the party security and poverty are the two major issues affecting the majority of the oppressed communities, including Muslims.
Party claims it wants to form a welfare state like India used to be before the advent of capitalism in 1991. Anees Ahmed, party’s manifesto committee member, said that in their election manifesto they have given practical views and promises. “We have crafted our manifesto with a practical view, we have focused on the basic problems faced by common man like roads, water, electricity, and Human rights issue. Party said a special focus has been given on the development of minorities.”
Success mantra
SDPI believes that common issues which they are raising are helping them to grow and connect with local masses, ‘The issues which we raise directly affect the life of masses, we take up the issue which concern them most, and people believe we communicate those issues well,’ said Mohd Saqib, National Working Committee member.
SDPI claims they are fighting against corruption at the grassroots which are prompting the local level leaders to join their party, thus strengthening it from base. SDPI said there major strength comes from selfless and committed cadre base of the party.
Will not regret if Muslim candidates of Congress taste defeated due to vote divide
Along with SDPI, another minorities based political party of Jamat-e-Islami Welfare Party of India, is contesting the elections mainly in the Muslim dominated constituencies where SDPI has also frayed their candidates. Muslim community in Karnataka has genuine fear that both this party’s competition at Muslim dominated constituencies will help divide Muslim votes and Muslim candidates from mainstream political parties might lose due to it.
Akram Hassan, SDPI candidate, Mangalore constituency.
But SDPI believes that sacrifices have to be given in order to eradicate the corrupt leadership of minority community. As far as SDPI is concerned it doesn’t take all this allegations seriously, and will not have any remorse even if Muslim candidates of Congress party suffered defeat, because according to SDPI there is ‘no difference between Congress and BJP’, Congress they believe can never be an alternative to BJP.
SDPI feels that there is no need of any regret even if some Muslim candidates of mainstream political parties taste defeat, as SDPI believes they should be taught a lesson, and if it resulted in decrease of Muslim representation in Assembly it should not be a matter of regret, because major representation doesn’t necessarily mean Muslim issues will be raised as witnessed in the past.
No competition with WPI they are not our equal
On the question of getting into an alliance with WPI, state leaders claim that they were open to discussion with any political party fighting for the cause of oppressed but no dialogue with WPI ever took place. As SDPI claims that there direct competition is with mainstream political parties, ‘the newest political party is giving competition to oldest political party’ one SDPI functionary said hinting at Congress. SDPI said alliance is done between equals, and they found no need of any pre-poll alliance with WPI.
But keeping space open of any future understanding, SDPI claims that there are no ideological differences with WPI, adding that even WPI and SDPI are part of Praja Parati Ranga a coalition of farmers and Dalit’s.
Will not become corrupt after gaining electoral power
In Indian political history there have been examples of many idealistic political parties which started to fight for the oppressed but end up becoming corrupt themselves, will SDPI end up in the same way?
Mohd Saqib claims it will not be the case of SDPI, as he said that party has killed the root of corruption in the electoral politics which is the procedure of getting party ticket. Mr. Saqib explains “There is a rotation of corruption in our political system, for a candidate to get a party ticket he have to bribe crores to party leaders, than for fighting elections again he have to bribe the voters, than how can one expect that a man who spent crores on his election campaign will not involve in corruption to get back his money.”
In SDPI Mr. Saqib says, “That candidate are given tickets basing on their commitment to the party’s cause, and votes are being asked from public not by bribing them but promising better returns in the future if get elected, so when our candidates doesn’t get involved in all malpractices from the beginning, there will be no question they will end up becoming corrupt in the end.”
Door to door campaign by SDPi canddiate Akram Hassan.
Not a Muslim political party, believes in diversity, already got Dalit’s and christens in the party’s fold
Although SDPI is a political arm of Popular Front of India, a complete Muslim membership based social organization. Like WPI that detaches itself from Jamat-e-Islami, SDPI distances itself from its parent organization PFI.
SDPI leaders said they believe and cherish the diversity of our nation and want to represent it in our political system. Party claims that it has substantial members from Dalit’s, Christians and other oppressed communities.
SDPI said they are not making tall promises of representation by grabbing community votes as mainstream political parties does it with Muslim community, SDPI said they had provided ticket to Dalits and other communities and made sure that they won on their party ticket, party leaders give example of two Dalits who got elected in local bodies election on SDPI ticket.
Will continue agitative politics even if lose the election
“Our party consists of activists who were fighting for the cause of oppressed from decades, when they realized the importance of raising political voice in a democratic setup, SDPI was formed and all the oppressed groups came along with us, that was the main reason for us to shift from activism to politics,” said SDPI state leader.
Karnataka SDPI asserts that there goal is not winning maximum seats in the assembly, but reviving expressive politics in Karnataka, and they will continue their agitative politics even if it bites dust in the assembly election.
Who will they support after elections?
If SDPI end up winning couple of seats whom they will support in assembly? SDPI feels it is pre-mature at this stage to evolve at any decision, but after elections ‘keeping in mind past experience and betrayals, we will take up a call to whom to support in the assembly.’
Post Script:
SDPI like any other emerging minority dominated party is facing more trouble than challenges, although there leaders on record will give an impression of ‘everything is fine’ classy picture of the party in the state, but off record they agree that their party faces enormous troubles even their activists getting beaten up by goons of other parties, when they retaliate they gets in the eyes of the storm.
In the neighboring state like Andhra Pradesh PFI and SDPI will not even get permission to hold public meetings, in another close neighbor Kerala where party is relatively strong, is facing a crisis where their offices are being raided on the charges of running terror training camps.
SDPI is Karnataka is emerging as threat to Congress cutting its major and traditional vote base of Muslim community, as widely expected if Congress gets power in Karnataka it can go to any extent to keep the party at bay. So in these present circumstances the remote possibility of winning some seats or the vote share can provide them oxygen or a considerable lift for another elections. As in democracy a political party can stand up against a Government only when it can produce the larger counting of heads.