We are convinced of our path, we will achieve victory!

Interview of Comrade T. Wilson, people's candidate from the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency by correspondent of People's Voice

Correspondent: Com Wilson, you have been campaigning for the past 2 weeks. You have experienced first hand how this electoral system works. Do you think it provides a level playing field for people’s candidates like you?

Wilson: I had earlier contested in the Assembly election. The experiences in the parliamentary elections further confirmed that there is no level playing field. The electoral system discriminates against people’s candidates — that is candidates who are not fighting on the ticket of so called recognised political parties. After getting my symbol I had only 10 days to complete my campaign, whereas the "recognised" parties such as Congress, BJP, DMK, AIADMK, CPI(M) etc have already a monopoly over their symbols. The candidates of such parties could start their campaign 2 months in advance. Further the electoral rules curtailed all the activities where people’s candidates can compete with and contest the candidates of the recognised parties. These parties cornered all the meeting places well in advance and used their money and muscle power to prevent us from using important junctions for our meetings. They blatantly violated the EC limits on the number of propaganda vans used, they put up posters and hoardings at will, got wall paintings done, etc. These parties spent crores of money in advertising in the TV, radio and newspapers. There was no restriction on this also.

Moreover, electoral rules seemed to apply only to us. All others were violating it left and right, but when we made even a small deviation, we were given a severe warning.

So, I think all this talk about election commission being very strict this time and ensuring that there is a level playing field, as reported in the bourgeois press, is all humbug.

Correspondent: With your limited resources how did you campaign?

Wilson: The organizations which supported me – the Communist Ghadar Party of India, Lok Raj Sangathan, and others collected money for the campaign from their members and supporters and from the public. We had to judiciously deploy our limited resources. In our campaign human resources were given primary importance over propaganda materials. Our campaigners were conscious people. They conveyed our objectives and conducted vigorous propaganda and mobilization among the people. We could effectively reach out to lakhs of people at a fraction of the cost that bourgeois parties spend.

We had only one propaganda van as compared to tens of vans of candidates of the main bourgeois parties. Kanyakumari constituency covers the entire district. Being a semi-urban district, there are cities, towns, far flung villages, huge fields and plantations. It was an enormous task to cover such a large area with one van. But we took up the challenge. We were on the road from 9 am to 10 pm and could manage to cover almost three-fourths of the district. In the last few days of the campaign we concentrated our campaigning in the two assembly constituencies of Tiruvattar and Vilavangode which are predominantly worker areas and where we have support.

I am satisfied that even with this limited resources we reached out to lakhs of voters, distributed thousands of manifestos, leaflets, conducted more than 100 street corner meetings and created a mass awareness on issues such as state-organised communal violence and terror, the economic crisis, political reforms, people’s livelihood, rights of Tamils in Sri Lanka and others. 

Correspondent: Do you think the electoral process and rules can be reformed to remove the inadequacies of the present system?

Wilson: I don’t think so. The present political and electoral process needs to be completely transformed. As long as the system remains exploitative no amount of reforms can make things better. For eg., a newspaper reported that in KK district, Rs 1 crore worth of liquor bottles were seized yesterday from candidates planning to distribute them on the eve of elections. There are reports that various parties are offering money, sarees, dhotis etc. The election observers shrug their shoulders and say that they cannot apprehend the culprit, if the crime doesn’t take place in front of their eyes. So, just tinkering with the rules doesn’t change anything.

Correspondent: What was the response to your campaign? How was it received by the electorate?

Wilson: Our manifesto, election speeches, announcements and slogans were very well received by the people who gathered in large numbers at road junctions to listen to us. Everyday we covered about 100 kms and did at least 25 to 30 public meetings. Many people came up to us as we were addressing them, to shake hands. Many offered tea right in the middle of the road when we were making speeches. Hundreds of people and shopkeepers at the busy intersections listened with rapt attention when we talked, because we made sense. We didn’t do candidate baiting or make blatant promises. We didn’t make attempts to divide the people on the basis of caste, religion and party affiliation. The other day we addressed the public at Melpuram around 5 pm. When we reached Melpuram again at 9:30 in the night, totally tired, our friends standing at the bus junction insisted that we should address the public again because the issues we are raising are so important! Our slogan, “we are India, we are her masters” was a big hit. Even activists of other parties appreciated our line.

We were considered serious contestants not only by the voters but by the candidates of other big parties. But, we had to fight every inch of our way. 

Correspondent: You are talking about a fundamental transformation of the political and electoral system, and demanding that people should select and elect their representatives, and not political parties. What was the response of the press? Did they give you coverage?

Wilson: The press totally boycotted us. I sent my election manifesto and a letter of support from well-known personalities such as Justice Krishna Iyer to all newspaper offices in the district. But none of them published anything. When I repeatedly bugged the local reporters, some of whom are my friends, they said that they have been asked to report only about big parties and generally ignore independents.

Correspondent: Any other issue on which you want to comment?

Wilson: Yes, I want to comment on the harassment by the police and Q branch CIDs. In addition to submitting periodic accounts to the election authorities I was forced by the Q branch to report my team movement every day! What kind of democracy is this where only I have to report to the Q branch among all candidates? Not only this. Just as after the local body elections, they may also harass those who supported my nomination. But we are not worried — we will fight.