Much before the current election fever, former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students’ union president and Communist Party of India member Kanhaiya Kumar’s candidacy from Bihar’s Begusarai was almost a foregone conclusion. Kumar, who recently got his doctorate degree from JNU, has been camping in Begusarai – his home district and a CPI stronghold – for nearly a year.There were, however, concerns that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a key player in the Bihar polls, may not be willing to accept Kumar’s candidature. With his oratorial skills and spontaneous ability to connect with people, it could be argued that he should have been considered a valued opposition candidate.But it was precisely Kumar’s exceptional communication skills – it may now seem – that made the RJD nervous. The party, it was speculated, was not willing to risk the CPI candidate outshining Lalu Prasad’s son and RJD supremo, Tejashwi Yadav. Caste calculations seemed to work against Kumar too.With the RJD refusing to back Kumar and fielding its own party candidate, Begusarai is now going to witness a multi-cornered fight. Those in the fray include the RJD’s Tanvir Hasan, BJP’s Giriraj Singh (a minister in the Modi cabinet known for his intemperate anti-Muslim comments) and CPI’s Kumar.Also read: Why Regional Parties May Hold the Key to VictoryOn Sunday, Kumar told the media that his fight was not against Tanvir Hasan. His fight, he said, was against the “fundamentalist thinking” of Giriraj Singh.“When there were talks of Giriraj Singh contesting from Begusarai, I made it a point to stay put in Begusarai to ensure there is no religious frenzy here. How can people of Begusarai accept Giriraj, who is averse to contesting from here and has not visited the constituency? My fight here will be against the fundamentalist thinking of Giriraj Singh, who seldom looked an Indian minister but like Pakistan visa minister, out to send several Indians to Pakistan from time to time,” said Kumar.The Wire spoke to CPI general-secretary Sudhakar Reddy to find out his views on the turn of events in Begusarai – often described as the Leningrad of Bihar – and the overall state of the left parties across the country.What went wrong in the alliance talks which has now led to a multi-cornered contest in Begusarai?Shortsighted interests have led the ghatbandhan in Bihar to go alone. However, in the long-term interests of the nation, the Left has decided to avoid multiple-cornered contests and will contest only in seats that it is absolutely confident of winning and not contest in seats where it may split the vote and help fundamentalists.Sudhakar Reddy. Credit: Wikimedia CommonsDid Kanhaiya Kumar’s caste as a Bhumihar become a thorn in the alliance? There has been media speculation that Bhumihars may prefer to vote for BJP’s Giriraj Kishore rather than Kanhaiya.CPI and its Begusarai candidate have fought for the welfare of the entire working class and downtrodden sections. The caste of its candidates are not the determining factor for majority of the voters. CPI’s base in Begusarai is not caste-based but it is across all sections. We are very confident that Begusarai will not be divided by caste and all castes will wholeheartedly vote for CPI’s candidate Kanhaiya Kumar.What role did the RJD play in alliance talks? Is it true that Kanhaiya’s oratorial skills made Tejashwi Yadav nervous of competition?It is for RJD to state if Kanhaiya’s popularity made it nervous. Comrade Kanhaiya Kumar fought the repression in JNU and has become an inspiration for youth across the country. When CPI offered to be part of the gatbandhan, it was for RJD to make use of the opportunity, which it did not capitalise on.Even while acknowledging the tremendous significance and challenges of the 2019 elections, opposition parties have not been able to put up a united front. What are the reasons for this lack of cohesion?We have always made it clear that a nation-wide pre-poll alliance will not be possible due to different political situations in different states. However, in each state, we have tried to create the best possible scenario in the national interests.Also read: In West Bengal, the BJP’s Ambition Outweighs Its CapacityWhat role does the CPI leadership envisage for Kanhaiya in the future?Comrade Kanhaiya Kumar is popular with all sections of the people and we are confident that he will make the voice of the working class stronger in parliament.Kanhaiya Kumar. Credit: Akhil KumarAt a larger level, would you agree that the mainstream Left needs to reinvent itself to make itself politically relevant again?Left, of course, needs to represent itself to make it more attractive to the younger voters. As part of these efforts, CPI is bringing in younger candidates to represent in the next Parliament. The strong progressive movements in universities across the country will translate to left getting strengthened in the coming years.What are your party’s political plans in Bengal? Why is the Left invisible on the ground in the state?The massive state repression of the TMC government and the promotion of goondaism by the BJP is taking centre stage in Bengal. However, CPI and other Left partners have been working on restrengthening the organisational base and working on people’s issues. We are confident that people will back the Left as they are fed up with the misgovernance of Mamata and the communalism of BJP.
