[Interview] ‘Defeating Fascism Need Of The Hour, Rahul Not Serious About It': CPI Wayanad Candidate Annie Raja

Annie Raja is the Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate in Wayanad for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Her debut in electoral politics comes against Rahul Gandhi of the Congress and K Surendran of the BJP. 

The Congress and the CPI are allies at the national level as part of the INDI alliance grouping but are contesting against each other in Kerala.

She is the general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women. Her husband, D Raja, is the general secretary of the CPI.

Swarajya spoke with Annie Raja at the CPI office in Kalpetta, a couple of hours after the campaign ended on 24 April. The state goes to polls on the 26th of April.

The campaign for these elections ended just a while back. How are you feeling? It is also your first election.

I have never contested any election before, not even a Panchayat election. But actually, if you see, I was always with people. So I don't find anything new when I go to people. Even though I used to talk about politics, I never used to give a call or appeal for votes after a speech. That is the only difference.

How has the response been to your candidature?

Before I came here, as soon as my candidature was announced by the Left, there was a campaign that I am an outsider, I don't know Malayalam. I am from some Raja family, from Rajasthan, etc.

So people were a little disappointed and they were not that happy. But since the first day onwards, people started realising that I am one among them as their language and my language is the same and that I understand their problems. 

Slowly, slowly, entire families including mothers with newborn babies and old people with walkers came to the road to just say hello.

This is not one case, this is across the constituency. For the last 15 days, this is happening. So people received me well and even my opponents, they have nothing to speak about me. 

Even Congress people are saying we want both of them to be in Parliament. She is a fighter, but Rahul is here and Rahul should also be there in Parliament. That is the response. So that way, I was received by all people cutting across political affiliations.

So now the point is that they showed me a very positive response but it is for the people, i.e., the voters to decide. It is their right and their mind, their decision. But I hope that the friendliness and the openness, which they showed to me will convert into votes. That's what I expect.

How do you see the contradiction in the INDI alliance camp as there is a clash between the Left and the Congress in Kerala, while they are partners at the national level?

See there is no contradiction here in Kerala. I would say there is no contradiction even in the INDIA alliance. Because even at the formative stage of INDIA alliance, we discussed about the state alliances. Kerala was also on the agenda. 

So it is accepted by INDIA alliance partners, including Congress. So what has changed is Rahul's candidature. Left has announced its candidates much before the announcement of the schedule of election.

I started my campaign on 1st of March. Rahul’s candidature was announced much later. So, the message which the Congress is giving or Rahul is giving to the people is that in India, the biggest enemy is the Left or LDF and not the Sangh Parivar fascists. 

Here people are asking why he is contesting against a woman and a person belonging to a minority community. I am a Christian but never ever people saw me as coming from a minority. This is the first time. 

So, Congress and Rahul by contesting this constituency in Wayanad and against the Left, are sending the message that Left is the main enemy and that shows their political bankruptcy. In India, all four pillars of Indian democracy have been weakened by RSS like termites. They have weakened every pillar of Indian democracy and he is not serious about this. 

Otherwise, if it is to win a seat without any difficulty, he could have contested from Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, we are all in one alliance. He could have contested in Karnataka. It is his own government. Again in Telangana, there is a Congress government. 

What happened in the last assembly elections? Congress did not have any alliance with the Left except in Telangana. In Telangana, Congress had an alliance with the Left (only CPI). CPI and Congress fought together and the only state where Congress came into power is Telangana. That is our credibility, that is our strength. 

If the sole purpose is to win a seat, he had Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka. All those chief ministers requested him to come and contest from there. 

Many intellectuals wrote to Rahul, saying don't contest against a CPI leader. But why did he choose Wayanad again?

He knew that there is an opinion that he should not contest from Wayanad. Because in one of the INDIA Alliance meetings, I am told that he (Rahul) said that some leaders are saying that I should not contest from Wayanad, but he has not taken any decision. 

The Left parties openly informed and conveyed the message to Rahul through statements. Even other parties conveyed the message to Rahul. 

He did not respond positively, but came and contested. Through that he has given a weapon to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to beat the INDIA alliance with. 

All through the NDA campaign what is the issue that they are speaking about?

They are saying there is disunity and that they are not trustworthy. You have given that opportunity and the sole responsibility for that lies with Congress and particularly with Rahul Gandhi. He's not a young boy. By this time he should have understood the danger the country is facing today.

The Bharat Jodo yatra was a very good initiative. I appreciate that. I salute. But then, defeating fascism is the need of the hour and he is not serious about that. Then what is the use of having this Jodo yatra and all this?

How is the performance of Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad in the previous five years? 

That is something for the people to assess and analyze. 

The voters of this constituency questioned me—Will you be like him? I asked what happened. They said he came as a prime minister candidate and we, who had never voted for that symbol after getting the voting rights, still voted for him. He won with a huge margin and left.

When we were affected by landslides and suffering from all sorts of natural calamities, he did not come. In one of the landslides, 59 people died.

Many people were killed by wild animals and the entire crop has been destroyed. People are leaving some of the areas near to the forest. So these are all crises that people are facing. He was not bothered. 

People are saying that the name of the constituency in Malayalam has four letters—’Wa, ya, na, da’ and that the four letter name of our constituency was not even taken once in five years when these things were happening. That's why people are asking, will you be like him?

And you are then having to tell people that you would be different?

I came here on 1st March and on the same day I started my campaign. From around the third day people started questioning me if I would be like Rahul? Then I decided not to ask for votes first. I decided to tell the people that if you elect me as your representative, I will be here in this constituency. I will live with you as one amongst you.

So you have taken a home here?

Yes. We have rented accommodation here.

Is the unhappiness against the LDF government in the state over the allegations of the Chief Minister’s daughter receiving monthly payments, the cooperative bank issue etc affecting your candidature?

No. In this constituency, that is not the issue. For the people of this constituency, what they are telling me is that election is not an issue for us. For us, the issue is human-animal conflict. Then I told them that the LDF government has done whatever possible for them given the limitations of a state government. The Chief Minister has declared it as a state specific calamity. Whatever they can do, they are doing it. But for a lasting solution, an amendment to the existing law (Wildlife Act) which was passed in 1972 is needed. 

Now the climate has changed. The number of animals has also gone up and the character of the forest also is an issue. Many issues are there. So considering all these things, you need an amendment to the existing law. That will happen not in the Kerala assembly but in the Indian parliament.

Has Rahul Gandhi taken it up?

One thing will be very interesting for you to note.

When he came here for the first time, he said that there are three issues. One is night curfew on the road from Wayanad to Karnataka. It has been like this for years together. He said he will lift it. And now in Karnataka, he has his own government. He never did anything, not even a discussion. 

Number two is this human-animal conflict issue. Number three, was about the railway line and the traffic congestion in the hairpin curves. 

He hasn’t been able to solve them and has come here once again. He is now again promising to find solutions to them after being in power for five years.

What are some of the things that you are promising for Wayanad?

Almost 15 years have passed since the constituency came into existence. That means three Lok Sabha elections have taken place. All the three times it was the UDF, that is the Congress, which has represented this constituency.

And within these 15 years they have not done anything for the development of this constituency. Yesterday, I was in a place called Poozhithode-Padinjharethara. There is an 8 kilometre stretch where there is no road.

It was a Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana road. Around four years back, some digging was done for some water supply work etc. and it has since then not been relaid.

Women living there came to me and asked me to do something about it because they are suffering a lot. In summer it is extremely dusty and in the rainy season it is muddy. Water is upto the calf. They cannot travel easily and are having problems in their lungs as they are continuously exposed to this dust.

In every constituency, the MP will preside over developmental work meetings but he has not done anything for this. It is just an eight kilometre stretch and you are unable to solve the problem.

Congress has taken these people for granted. Its like having a feudal mentality—you don’t do anything but the slaves will vote for you because you asked them to. Otherwise how does Rahul dare to come here and contest without doing anything for these people. From where does that courage come?

Do you think it is because of the Muslim League support ?

I don't know. I won't say like that. I never ever divide people on religion or caste basis. In my life I never did that.

This constituency has a large tribal population. Is there anything that the LDF thinks that they should do for the tribal communities?

As soon as Modi came to power, he actually subverted the SC/ST sub plan and component plan. That has negatively impacted the SC and ST population here as well as all over the country. 

But the state government is trying to help in whatever way possible. Because here, the panchayati right system is very strong. So through panchayats, they are ensuring their rights. But I am really hopeful that I can improve their lives when elected. An MP can do many things.

What do you think of the BJP candidate, K Surendran?

The BJP candidate tried to sow the seeds of communal politics here. He tried to do that by suggesting to change the name of Sultan Bathery into something else. But he should realise that this land of Kerala and the minds of Keralites is not for the communal fascist forces, it is for democracy and secularism.

They might have thought that in north India, they have tried it and in some places, they might have succeeded in getting some votes or seats, so they can try it here also. That will not work.

Also Read: [Interview] 'Wayanad is a classic example of mockery and drama in the name of an alliance'— BJP Candidate K Surendran

This report is part of Swarajya's 50 Ground Stories Project - an attempt to throw light on themes and topics that are often overlooked or looked down. You can support this initiative by sponsoring as little as ₹2999. Click here for more details.