There was no pomp and show in this election campaign. Congress candidate from Mumbai North Central and former Member of Parliament Priya Dutt held small corner meetings in Chembur, Kurla (East), and Sion on Friday. Each meeting saw a participation of up to 100 people, and ended with her supporters praising her.
Ms. Dutt said India had witnessed a tsunami in 2014 in the name of Narendra Modi, and the calamity had destroyed the country. “It is especially the lower and the middle class sections that have suffered due to demonetisation, goods and services tax, and communal disparities.”
Ms. Dutt said the Congress would be equally considerate towards every community when it comes to power. “The disparity among communities created by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is equal to how the British had disrupted us through the divide-and-rule policy. The symbol of palm in the Congress flag symbolises the equality of all communities: Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Dalit. And we will stand up for it,” she said.
Ms. Dutt said the country should be happy that democracy is still alive and people should vote for the change. She said families should encourage 18-year-olds to vote and pick the right leaders for the country. She also said the BJP could have done a lot in five years, but it has not worked towards what they promised. “It is so visible that it hasn’t contributed anything to development and get us ‘ achche din ,’” she said.
Speaking to The Hindu , she said she changed her mind and decided to contest this time because she felt the need to fight for what the country deserves. “I realised that people like us are outspoken and fight for the unity and peace of the country. I did this along with my father, and felt this was the time I should give back,” Ms. Dutt said.
She also said she plans to address the disparity between the lowest and the highest classes in her constituency and work towards addressing their issues one-on-one. “During my tenure, I treated both the classes differently. It is very important to address both of them. If you observe the localities of Bandra (West), Vile Parle, and other elite areas, they call for different needs like beautification, security, open spaces, and environmental protection. The poorer sections have basic issues to be addressed like food availability, cleaning the gutters. Nationally, housing is the biggest issue and I will focus on this more when I come to power.”
She said she deliberately kept her campaign low-key this time. “You will see that there are not more than 200 people at each meeting. I want to go into the pockets, meet, and listen to everyone. Earlier it used to be like an entourage and just showing my face to the public. But this time, I want to go more into each area and carry out my campaign effectively. I think now the momentum will increase where we can do rallies and other campaigns involving a huge crowd.”
On Muslim youths supporting the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) instead of the Congress, she said she does not see it as an issue this time. “This could be the case in some parts of Maharashtra, but in Mumbai, it is different. They have been hit earlier by the AIMIM, where they just came in to divide the votes and benefit the BJP. If the youth gets carried away, it is because of their fiery speeches and illusions and nothing else,” she said.
Women, she said, have begun to enter politics in larger numbers and are ready to make their presence felt. “Women have to be in politics. I also see many women opting for politics as a career option and looking at politics with great interest. Over a period of time, we will see more women coming into politics.”
