Mahagathbandhan is the need of the hour

INDIA-POLITICS Badruddin Ajmal | AFP

You have managed to form an alliance with the Congress this time.

Yes, we are ready for a coalition. A coalition is based on mutual trust that works on the ground.

So there is no trust deficit now?

Things are looking positive. But a lot more work needs to be done. We need to build up a big front against the BJP by bringing together the remaining parties.

Are you looking at a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance)?

That is the need of the hour. The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and the Congress alone will not be able to defeat the BJP. We have to work with Akhil Gogoi and many others. Otherwise it will not work.

Why did you fail to form a coalition in the Lok Sabha elections?

Let me be frank. We were tagged as Muslims. The Congress felt it would be blamed for being pro-Muslim and, therefore, many senior Congress leaders tried to scuttle my attempts to form a coalition. And they were successful.

Who are those leaders?

I will not name them. You are intelligent enough and have enough resources to find that out.

So what made the alliance possible this time?

I made them understand that the BJP can be defeated only by all opposition parties joining hands and forming a common front.

After the demise of senior leaders like Tarun Gogoi, you are emerging as a key opposition figure.

I don’t want to forcibly assume that mantle. The election will decide who is popular and who is not.

I am just telling you what I hear from people.

My people, too, are saying so. But I will ask you to wait till the elections, which is the real test. People will give you the crown or will snatch it away. If I declare myself to be the king and if the people snatch that crown away, what will I do? So let the people decide.

Will the Citizenship Amendment
Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens of Assam (NRC) be campaign issues?

Absolutely. The CAA and the NRC will be there. But more important are issues like development. The BJP will fight Badruddin Ajmal as a Muslim leader, but I will not fall into their trap.

Are you afraid to fight the BJP on those issues?

The government is closing down the madrassas. We are going to the Supreme Court on the issue. The BJP only plays religion, but I will include other issues like the absence of jobs caused by the lack of industrialisation and the closing down of paper mills. People are not getting patta for their land. We will take all these issues to people.

There are allegations against your NGOs, especially regarding funding.

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) will decide if there is any wrongdoing. If there is anything wrong, then the Central government is to be blamed as it obviously failed to implement FCRA properly. Where is my fault?

The BJP wants the NIA to investigate.

They can come and see everything, anytime. Political conspiracy will not work. They want to deface Badruddin Ajmal and his image. That is their single-point agenda. And they want to finish me politically.

So your focus would be on issues other than the NRC and the CAA.

Other issues will also be there. But how can I forget the harassment people faced in the name of the NRC and the division and polarisation that took place in the name of the CAA? Himanta Biswa Sarma must know that when there is polarisation on one side, it would happen on the other side, too. So it is better not to play such games.

Will you be going to Bengal for the election campaign?

No. I have no stakes there. But, obviously, I will pray for someone’s win and someone’s defeat in Bengal.

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