The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has nominated its district secretary, M.V. Balakrishnan, for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Kasaragod constituency, once a stronghold of the Left Democratic Front (LDF). In an interview with The Hindu, Mr. Balakrishnan expressed confidence in the party’s prospects to wrest back the seat surprisingly won by Congress leader Rajmohan Unnithan in the 2019 polls.
Despite being the LDF’s stronghold in five out of seven Assembly constituencies, the Congress–led United Democratic Front (UDF) emerged victorious in the last elections. How optimistic are you about overcoming the UDF this time?
I have already started meeting people, and there is a huge support for the LDF. People want the LDF back to represent them in Parliament. The political situation around the time of the last election turned against the LDF. The decision of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad and people’s expectation that he would become the Prime Minister helped the UDF garner votes. Besides, the Sabarimala issue and the twin murder of Congress workers in Periya turned the wind against the party.
How do you rate the performance of incumbent MP Rajmohan Unnithan? Has he done enough for the constituency?
What he has done is before the public, and people know well about it. Even though he claims to have done enough, I believe that he has been a big zero in the past five years. There are many issues including the problems faced by Endosulfan victims, reduction of funds for MGNREGS, and several others. They have not been addressed in Parliament.
What promises do you make to the people of the constituency?
If elected, I assure the voters that I will speak for them in Parliament. Besides taking up issues concerning Kerala, the Left front will resist issues that may affect the nation and its people.
Will minorities in Kasaragod and the State extend their support to the LDF in the Lok Sabha elections?
With the BJP in power at the Centre, there are a lot of doubts in the minds of people, especially among the minority communities. I am confident that people from minority communities will strongly back the LDF in the State. What happened after sending 18 UDF MPs to Parliament? The voice of Kerala was not heard in Parliament and instead they provided an opportunity to insult the State. The MPs have failed to react on important issues such as the Uniform Civil Code, Citizenship Amendment Act, and the National Education Policy.
