The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has nominated its Rajya Sabha MP and Centre of Indian Trade Unions State general secretary Elamaram Kareem to contest from the Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency in a bid to wrest the seat which has been held by Congress leader M.K. Raghavan three times in a row since 2009. With a wealth of experience in politics and having been electorally successfully from Beypore Assembly polls in 2006 and 2011, Mr. Kareem had served as Minister for Industries and Commerce in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by veteran CPI(M) leader V.S. Achuthanandan during 2006-2011. He spoke to The Hindu on various issues ahead of the upcoming polls on April 26.
How do you evaluate the performance of Mr. Raghavan, MP, who is contesting from the Kozhikode Lok Sabha seat for the fourth time?
I believe that the Congress, the party that Mr. Raghavan represents, is not equipped to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)- led Central government’s destructive policies in the current scenario. The BJP’s extreme liberalisation, destruction of the public sector, the farming sector and the rights of labourers while supporting the corporate sector is just a continuation of what the Congress government started in 1991. The Congress is trying to counter the BJP’s radical Hindutva with its own soft Hindutva. It cannot uphold the Constitution and oppose liberalisation. There is also the trust issue, as many Congress leaders are migrating to the BJP.
I believe that the duty of an MP is to take part in discussions on politics, financial and foreign policies, rather than attending wedding functions, since the Parliament is the highest platform of Indian politics.
What promises do you have to offer to the people of Kozhikode?
I will continue to fight against the liberalisation and anti-labour policies of the Central government, will oppose communalisation and prioritise the protection of our Constitution and secular nature of the country.
I will take the opinion of the elected representatives of the region to plan the development of Kozhikode, which has not happened in the past 15 years. It has been years since we were offered an All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Though the LDF government have provided the land, it has not happened yet. The current MP has not protested against it even once in Parliament or outside.
The development of Beypore port stagnated after its link with Lakshadweep was forcefully shifted to Mangaluru. The Calicut International Airport does not have direct flights to most of the major cities in the country. Wide-bodied aircraft have not landed in years. We also need to bring in more IT-based industries to utilise our manpower.
How do you rate yourself as a member of the Rajya Sabha ?
The BJP-led government was more aggressive in its second term and we opposed its anti-people agenda tooth and nail, including the farm laws, labour laws, privatisation of the General Insurance Corporation, the Citizenship Amendment Act, and the ban on Triple Talaq. We made sure that our voices were heard, and were suspended several times. We never compromised. We submitted several amendments to each of them and forced them to discuss them.
As a strong trade union leader, how do you keep the balance between the communist ideologies and being on good terms with the business houses?
The socialist mode of governance, in which all private capital is brought under the private sector, has not been practical anywhere in the country. The State does not have enough resources to invest too much in developmental activities when it has to support education and health sectors. In this situation we believe there is nothing wrong in accepting no-strings financial aid from the private sector, under conditions that ensure that our policies are not diluted.
