By Tanzil Asif and Sneha Dipika for TwoCircles.net
Tauquir Alam is the son of Mansoor Alam, a RJD leader and three-times MLA from Barari (Katihar) and ex-Minister in the Bihar government. Tauquir is a Congress candidate from Pranpur assembly constituency of Katihar – one of the four Seemanchal districts of Bihar. He is a deregistered Ph.D. student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi and alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. Alam is a product of student politics (NSUI) and unsuccessfully contested JNUSU President Election in 2007.
Tanzil Asif: You have been associated with JNU NSUI. Why has NSUI been unsuccessful in JNU till date? This time Masood Alam had contested the elections but it did not yield any fruitful result. Why is it so?
Tauquir Alam: Jawaharlal Nehru University, in the first place, is dominated by the Left. The political system is such that everyone from professors to students becomes Leftist. The Professors even teach in their political leanings. So they become Left-oriented, right from the word go. Secondly, it (Left) is a cadre-based party. Congress is a mass-based Party. They make cadres through small campaigns. They decide their electoral candidates beforehand and their campaigns are designed along those lines, throughout the year. Congress has an ideology of its own but it doesn’t go on with the same in the long run, we fail to make cadres. That is why we continuously…
Tanzil: ABVP has fared well in JNU. Why not NSUI?
Tauquir: Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad? They have their own mindset, their own base. I hope you are aware of the fact that ABVP is a wing of RSS and not BJP. You know the ideology of RSS. The descendants/followers of Nathuram Godse can be anywhere, even at JNU. They go on with a particular ideology without much success; however it managed to win a seat this time. However it appears that the winning candidate was popular and attracted votes based on his popularity. I don’t think his victory was based on ideology because that is never the case in elections there, like Sandeep Mahapatra. ABVP contests elections on the basis of the ideologies of RSS which opposes that of the Left. Congress follows Nehruvian-Gandhian philosophy but we fail to work hard (like them). The Left is so strong in JNU and we lag behind because of our own weaknesses. If we overcome our weaknesses, if we strengthen or cadre, we can easily surpass them. Ideology is a crucial factor too and Congress has an ideology of its own.
Tanzil: Let’s talk of Pranpur. Initially it seemed that you would contest elections from Barari seat, it eventually went to RJD. So did you have to compromise with Pranpur seat? You even reside in Barari. Did you prefer Barari?
Tauquir: I have been associated with JNU NSUI from my initial days, right from 2002 to 2010. I even contested the elections for the Presidential Post in 2007. Gradually, I developed interest in Youth Congress. There was a huge congregation in 2011; the Who’s Who of Congress had attended it. I worked for it. I knew then and there that I have to be a part of Youth Congress. I came to Katihar for elections. Then election for Lok Sabha Youth Congress happened. I, along with electoral candidates of the party, facilitated the membership. We contested on 6 seats and people chose us on all of them. You can say that I worked through Youth Congress in Katihar from the forefront and it is also recorded. (Interviewer interrupts)
Tanzil: A few days ago it seemed you will contest from Barari seat only?
Tauquir: That’s what I’m saying. Not only Katihar but also Patna and Aurangabad, where a Padyatra of 275 kilometres had been organised, are the places I’ve worked. My momentum was focussed on Katihar, my name was even proposed to contest Lok Sabha election there. Barari is my hometown. My father had been a minister from the very same seat. Although he is not into active politics now, he is still with RJD. So naturally, people assumed that I’ll contest the elections from Barari. I’ve worked in the entire district and I welcome the party’s decision to assign me a ticket under Katihar Lok Sabha through Youth Quota.
Tanzil: NCP is no more a part of the Grand Alliance. Tariq Anwar is an MP from Katihar. NCP will definitely field a candidate of its own in Pranpur. The vote bank of NCP and Congress is same. So don’t you think BJP will benefit from this animosity between Congress and NCP?
Tauquir: NCP doesn’t have a strong hold in Katihar. Anwar Saab is an MP due to the Grand Alliance which I think he forgot. To save face he is trying to strengthen his cadre everywhere. People might think that BJP will benefit from all of this. The entire nation is watching Bihar now where the election is actually a face-off between NDA and The Grand Alliance. Tariq Saab is definitely the MP but he has lost people’s confidence after his victory. His workers, sympathisers and activists are resigning. So, he is going to suffer the consequences of walking out of the Grand Alliance. His party stands nowhere in this NDA versus the Grand Alliance showdown.
Tanzil: A few months ago MLC election had taken place in which both the seats in Seemanchal saw BJP candidate (Dilip Jaiswal from Purnia) and BJP-backed candidate (Ashok Agarwal from Katihar) emerging victorious. At that time you had posted on Facebook asking if the votes are being transferred. So what did you actually mean? Are you united now?
Tauquir: It seems you follow me closely on Facebook. Thank you for that. At that time even I wanted to stand in the election. I was willing to go for it if the party permitted me to do so. But, NCP entered the alliance at last moment and got Katihar seat. I acted as per the wish of the party. I campaigned for the NCP Candidate. I followed the party’s orders. The results which came out post the elections raised several questions. I also wondered that we have the Grand Alliance, well and good, but is it leading to a transfer of votes. I raised questions regarding the same but I was told that it is not the case, we are very much united. This election is way different from that election. That was an election of the elected people and you are well aware of the voting process. This election is all about Nitish and Modi. We are projecting Nitish Kumar as the ‘Vikas Purush’. We aim at stopping BJP. I believe BJP doesn’t stand a chance. Had it been really strong it would have contested the elections alone. So yes the votes for Nitish, Lalu and Congress are definitely being transferred to each other. Now, we have come a long way together, with our differences aside and hearts attuned.
Tanzil: There was another post from you. When SP was threatening to leave the Grand Alliance you had posted about it on Facebook quoting Badri Narayan, a professor in JNU, that the party is doing so to increase the number of seats allotted to it but is not going to take a real step. SP has now walked out of The Grand Alliance. So do you see it as a threat?
Tauquir: SP doesn’t have a foothold in Bihar. That post was quite apt. Badri Narayan had said that the mould of Janata Pariwar which they had cast was for their personal resort and had got nothing to do with Bihar. The aim of the Grand Alliance is to stop BJP. Nitish Kumar wanted to be the CM in Bihar. Both of them had different mindsets. Janata Pariwar was projecting itself as Anti-Congress and Anti-BJP at the national level. People created confusion that they now they have left…(Interviewer interrupts)
Tanzil: But Mulayam Singh was the Mukhiya?
Tauquir: No, he wasn’t. It’s a false notion. That wasn’t Grand Alliance; it was an Alliance of his own family. It was an Alliance of Janata Pariwar. Look at Haryana. Every state has a requirement of its own. We wanted them to be together too so that we could have come on the same platform. Congress has an ideology of its own. Congress has got nothing to with Janata Pariwar. It’s good if they stand together but we have an ideology of our own which is different from theirs. We have formed the Grand Alliance under a ‘Common Minimum Programme’. Other parties could have joined us as well. Janta Pariwar could have continued with us as well. No, he wasn’t the head of the Alliance. Yes, he was the head of the Janata Pariwar. They had met Amit Shah. Before Swabhiman Rally everything was alright. Ram Kripal Yadav had attended it. After it everything changed. We won’t make much of a comment on what actually went in.
Tanzil: I talked to a few people from your constituency, Pranpur. They say you are more popular in Delhi and on Facebook but people don’t know you in the ground. So how do you plan to change that image?
Tauquir: Being the President of Youth Congress I have worked continuously in almost all over Bihar. I have conducted programmes in Pranpur and several other places. The elders, generally, aren’t very appreciative of a youth activist. They tend to ignore them. I have a strong hold in Ajamnagar. I haven’t had a proper interaction with the people of Ajamnagar (emphasizes on ‘Had’) that is why people who stay outside say that they don’t know me. But now I’m making regular visits to these places and I’m being welcomed everywhere. So, this is a false notion. Katihar is a place very close to me. Candidates who are contesting the election there are all live in Katihar (town). If people are making such statements then that is their own thinking. They might not have been able to meet us or we might not have been able to reach out to them. I believe they will be with me, will support me whenever I reach out to them. Rahul Gandhi has said that he will send young people to these places regularly.
Tanzil: Caste-based politics is very prevalent in Bihar. Surjapuri, Shershahwadi and Kohli are the prime castes in your constituency. So whose representative are you?
Tauquir: (Laughs) Caste-based politics, in the name of minority, is definitely a part of the political system here. We have strong vote bank there. People do politics through casteism. But as far as we are concerned, we base our politics on Nitish Kumar, on development, on young leaders. Caste is not that important a factor for us. We cater to people from all class, caste, background. We don’t indulge in Casteism. A Surjapuri leader will not be with Surjapuris only or a Shershahwadi will not listen to Shershahwadis only. It’s a false notion. We are talking about youth here. An educated young leader has been provided with the opportunity to serve the people under the Grand Alliance. Let’s look at the bigger purpose.
Tanzil: AIMIM is very much in the limelight. So does it make you any insecure?
Tauquir: MIM haven’t announced candidate from my constituency and I have got to know from newspapers that it’s not going to contest in my seat. Even if does, it is not going to make much of a difference. We are not going to be affected by it. The Grand Alliance is gaining momentum in the name of Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. This is the only factor which will work in this election. It’s a direct contest between BJP and us. Others can contest too if they are at it. Personally, I don’t think any other factor is going to work out there. Wherever I go, I’m being welcomed. People are not going to incline towards AIMIM.
Tanzil: What will you do for the people of Pranpur if you win? There’s a bridge in Labha without any approach road even since 1987. So what different are you going to do which no other politician has ever done?
Tauquir: I was travelling from Chiknitola to Ramchandrapur at night. I had to go through puddles of water otherwise I would have had to take a 25 kilometre longer route. These things should have been done way back. Despite having a Vikas Purush CM it never happened. So our agenda would be to get these things done first and foremost.
Tanzil: Which Chief Minister are you talking about, Nitish Kumar or Lalu Prasad Yadav, both are with you?
Tauquir: Lalu Prasad has brought in remarkable social changes. He gave voice to the poor. It was a historical change for the whole of Bihar. He put in a lot of effort to develop Bihar which was successful to certain extent. However, things were not in favour of him due to the BJP Government. Nitish Kumar, on the other hand is being called the ‘Vikas Purush’ and is working really hard to serve the purpose. We are getting a lot of support of Mandal community. I don’t hesitate saying that. As far as approach road is concerned, I would urge the Bihar and Bengal Governments to come together to get it done in my tenure. Also there are a few bridges, roads which are not at all in the condition of being made use of. We have already taken steps to get the things started. My goal is to make it an Education Hub with the help of NGOs. I aim at coming up small scale good schools, convent schools. We’ll bring in experts from the field of education also generating employment for the youth. We also aim at catering to the needs of the farmer. The Law and Order is quite satisfactory. My crusade will be for the education and employment of the youth.
Tanzil is a student of Journalism at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi. He can be reached at @tnzl_