'Never thought Modi would embrace Gandhi so openly'

Shazia Ilmi, one of the Aam Aadmi Party’s founder members who left that party after the Lok Sabha elections in May 2014, was recently nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Delhi unit to join the Swachh Bharat campaign.

After she came out in favour of the campaign and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there has been speculation about Ilmi planning to join the saffron party.

She speaks about her views on BJP, love jihad and her fallout with AAP.

What is your view on the Swachh Bharat campaign? Besides this campaign, how do you see the works that the Modi government has undertaken since it came to power?

Everything need not be seen from a political prism alone. The Clean India campaign is an important mission and everybody should undertake it. I am personally very close to the issue of sanitation. I thought of it as a citizen and am taking it up very seriously. The right noises have been made (since the Modi government came to power), and one can’t fault the rhetoric. But we have to see whether something concrete comes out of it – I’m still looking out for that. There have been some positive changes, no doubt. I liked Modi’s Independence Day speech. I would’ve never thought Modi would embrace Gandhi so openly and easily. This was a very important step.

There were fears during the general elections that the minority communities might be further marginalised when BJP came to power. Do these fears still hold true?

The entire rhetoric of ‘love jihad’ is extremely regressive. For a government that won a mandate for development, it is disturbing to see how it is encouraging such a backward debate. The government and Modi both talk about Muslims being true to their nation, but there’s a bit of contradiction there. Such a medieval agenda after talk about equality and governance is confusing for all citizens, including me.

How would you compare Arvind Kejriwal to Modi?

There are a lot of similarities between them. Both leaders are self-centred. All party communication is about and through them and not about other leaders. Their view of both their party and their own selves is self-centric, and perhaps other than themselves, they allow only one other deputy to survive.

Modi is a leader with a lot of experience, whereas AAP was a fresh idea and a new start. But one needs to move beyond good intentions. Both have their pet projects and issues and are extremely focused on them. I still think that it is impressive how Kejriwal has held on to the cause of the Lokpal bill.

You had expressed concerns about AAP’s functioning, after which many other workers also expressed similar views. Are you disillusioned with the party?

Yes, I am disillusioned because AAP promised so much. It was a step towards cleaner politics, towards a real transformation, but it failed its members because of a lack of openness in party communication and democracy. I wouldn’t say the party self-destructed, but lack of vision and management created a lot of rancour within the party.

Will you be joining the BJP now or in the future? Do you see this as a conflict since you fought the assembly and general elections on the opposite side of BJP?

There has been a lot of speculation around this and I find it very silly and trite. People should see India for what it is and view issues and people for what they are. Life is not always about the Congress, BJP or AAP; it is about the work that is being done. I have been vociferously critical of ‘love jihad’. I have responded to Madhu Kishwar too and told her that I’m not as desperate to be in mainstream politics as people think. I would’ve joined BJP earlier if I had to. I stand for what is right and criticise what is wrong and anyone is free to speculate beyond that. People were convinced that the Anna Hazare movement was backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The same people now say that AAP is the new Congress. I had conviction then and I have conviction now. I always have and will follow the path of my conviction.

Image: Shazia Ilmi praised Narendra Modi for his 'Swachch Bharat campaign. Photograph: Shazia Ilmi/Facebook