‘Why should I counter BJP on tukde-tukde? Lies need not be countered’: Kanhaiya Kumar

Having begun his political journey at Jawaharlal Nehru University, shot to limelight as the original face of “the tukde-tukde gang”, and contested a failed Lok Sabha election on a CPI candidate from Begusarai in Bihar in 2019, Kanhaiya Kumar is now the Congresscandidate from the North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. He is facing a tough contest in the seat against two-time sitting BJP MP and fellow Poorvanchali face, Manoj Tiwari.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Kanhaiya talks about his candidature, challenges in the polls and allegations of “tukde tukde gang”, among other things. Excerpts:

I am thankful to the people of Delhi, the leadership and workers of the Delhi Congress, and the Congress high command for reposing their faith in me. The party’s leadership thinks I can put up a good fight. We will uphold the Congress’s battle to protect democracy and the Constitution.

Though the contest is challenging, what we are seeing on the ground, not just in Delhi but across the country, is that people are unhappy with this government. The numbers we see on TV and electronic media are all bogus. The BJP is repeatedly talking about the same things. Their government has not delivered, has not been able to fulfill the expectations of the people and does not talk about issues like unemployment, price rise, farmers’ issues, women’s security and economic disparity.

In a democracy, every challenge is dependent on the people. It gets tougher when people are not happy. I am sure things will be positive (for us) and in favour of the Congress.

This is Lok Sabha election, not a local one. The Congress has a national agenda. In our Nyay Patra (manifesto), we speak about justice for all sections of society – women, youth and farmers –