Your party has been getting a lot of attention in the regional and national media? How do you feel about the rise of this significance for your party?
For the last few years, one can watch the prime news on SDPI on TV channels and newspapers that were projecting it with negative aspects. People are curious to know what this party is meant for and for what are its objectives. One can recollect the news of Amit Shah; the then National President of BJP was referring to SDPI in a speech in Karnataka in May 2018. All these rhetoric compelled the people to know the real side of SDPI.
On the website of the Election Commission of India, one can found that there are 2698 political parties registered, of which 8 are national parties, 52 are state parties. The rest of 2638 parties are unrecognised registered parties. The Social Democratic Party of India belongs to this 3rd category of unrecognised registered parties. Almost all these unregistered parties are not so familiar to the people except us.
In spite of the Media projecting a negative image, hundreds of video clippings of service, meeting and photos about us and write-ups are visible on social media.
SDPI is gaining attraction and acceptance; what are the factors according to you?
In the recent Panchayath election held in Kerala and Karnataka, we won hundreds of seats. In Kerala, winning 113 seats, where so-called mainstream parties were winning for decades, surprised the political leaders and pundits. In Karnataka, SDPI won 228 panchayath seats with a clear majority in 4 Gram Panchayaths. Also, in Karnataka, we won in many City Corporation and Town Municipal Corporation wards. In Tamilnadu, Rajasthan and even in UP, SDPI succeeded in several Panchayath, Municipal and Zilla Panchayath seats.
We have won in areas where Muslim, Dalit and OBC communities had a presence. They have shifted their loyalty to SDPI as an alternative to their hitherto traditional so-called secular parties. This shift is because only we raise issues of Muslim and Dalit Communities, which are demanding justice & rights, actions on perpetrators, opposing anti-people policies etc.
Even opposing parties applaud SDPI for services during times of adversity? What are the services?
During the calamities like Tsunami, Flood, cloud burst, etc. We are into rescue and rehabilitation works serving all people irrespective of religion, caste etc. During Covid Pandemic, our cadres across the country distributed food packets, ration kits, medicines, offered ambulances, oxygen cylinders, cremated the dead bodies, etc. In almost every district in South India, SDPI workers are at the service of the people. Their activities like blood donation, sanitation of the villages, ensuring drinking water supply, helping the poor get hospitalisation, helping with ration kits, education made the party popular.
What is the major policy position, core political plank of SDPI?
SDPI's relentless struggle against anti-Muslim / Anti Dalit policies is one of the core planks to attract Muslim voters. Since independence, the community has witnessed injustice, atrocities, discriminations, etc. from both communal parties and the governments. The rallies, agitations, dharnas, legal fights and, of course, civil defense against institutionalised atrocities gained popularity because people desired this for decades.
What is the alternative your party proposes to contemporary Indian issues?
SDPI is an alternative. The so-called secular parties either pursue the soft Hindutva or indulged in corruptions, family politics, nepotism and capitalism. Internal democracy is not at all visible in those parties. Hence, to represent the common people in the law-making houses and give transparent and people-friendly governance, the alternative is SDPI which has strong internal democracy. Presently, the Indian political parties are run by corporates, rich people and the mighty. The common person cannot get party tickets to contest elections. The candidates spend crores of rupees in the polls. SDPI educates its cadres that politics is for a cause and not for a career. Every penny must be utilised for the sake of the public and their development. Another important factor is to save the constitution. The ruling BJP in the centre and several states are despising constitutional values and trying to implement Manuvad.
The party's objective is to achieve the power to realise welfare state wherein basic needs like health, education, housing, water, sanitation, roads shall be availed by every citizen freely. SDPI aims to build the nation on equality, sustainable development, secularism and a mixed economy.
