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.
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.
