'Rahul is not my enemy nor am I his enemy'

'Rahul Gandhi is the face of the INDIA alliance. If he contests against a BJP candidate and defeats her/him, it will send a strong message.'

Annie Raja, member of the Communist Party of India's national executive, is the CPI's candidate from Wayanad, Kerala.

Wayanad is represented in Parliament by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who won the seat by defeating the CPI's P P Suneer by a massive margin in 2019. The seat has been held by the Congress in three successive elections.

Ms Raja, a CPI veteran, is general secretary of the All India Federation for Women and married to CPI General Secretary Doraiswamy Raja.

The Left is part of the INDIA alliance, but has been a traditional rival of the Congress in Kerala.

The Left parties recently announced all 20 candidates in the fray for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Kerala.

CPI leaders have minced no words in saying that Rahul Gandhi should move out of Kerala and engage in a direct electoral contest with a BJP candidate instead.

"The Congress has not decided whether he will be the candidate from Wayanad or not," said Annie Raja.

"I hope good sense prevails and together we defeat the RSS-BJP government at the Centre," the CPI candidate tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih in a phone interview while travelling through the constituency.

What made you decide to contest from Wayanad, a seat that Rahul Gandhi won with a huge margin in the 2019 Lok Sabha election?

This is not the first time the CPI is contesting from Wayanad. The Left Democratic Front has been contesting against the United Democratic Front for a very long time. It is nothing new. I am carrying out the responsibility given to me by my party.

Is this not a finger in the eye of the INDIA alliance? Both the Congress and CPI are part of this alliance against the BJP-led NDA?

Why should it be? In Kerala, the fight is between the Left Democratic Front and United Democratic Front. In the meeting of INDIA alliance partners it was made very clear by the Left parties that Kerala has had a tradition of LDF versus UDF contest and it will remain so.

Accordingly, the Left Front is contesting all the 20 seats in Kerala.

Does this not destabilise the shaky INDIA alliance on the national level because this is after all a national election?

In 2019, the Congress fielded Rahul Gandhi who defeated the CPI's P P Suneer who belonged to the minority Muslim community.

The CPI had contested in the last Lok Sabha election also and is doing the same this time.

Would you be more accepting if any other Congress candidate except Rahul were to contest from Wayanad?

It is the prerogative of the Congress to select a candidate -- be it from its top leadership to the panchayat level. The Congress is an independent party just like the CPI. In a democracy, we should respect the right of individual parties to select their candidates.

In that spirit, the Left Front has announced all 20 candidates.

Do you think Rahul Gandhi, the leading face of the Opposition, should be directly fighting a BJP candidate rather than any other party?

That will definitely give a message to the Fascist forces that we mean what we say and are serious about our message. All the other INDIA alliance partners will support him.

Rahul Gandhi is the face of the INDIA alliance and if he contests against a BJP candidate and defeats her/him, it will send a strong message, but that is finally for the Congress party to decide.

What are the chances of your victory considering it is a strong Congress seat?

Victory or failure is at the hands of the voter. We have tremendous confidence in the voters, and all the 20 Left Front candidates in Kerala will win. We are confident that the people will vote for us.

It is for the people to decide whom they want as their representative.

What message are you trying to convey through your candidature?

My message is that this election is very critical and crucial for the country because our Constitutional values like democracy, secularism have been undermined and destroyed by the RSS-BJP government.

It is important for the people to defeat them. We will fight it out and defeat the BJP-RSS. If I am elected as the people's representative I will be with them in good times and bad.

MPs do not do charity when they work for the people; it is the right of those who have elected them and even those who haven't -- this will also be our message to the people.

What changes can one expect in the country if Mr Modi wins another term?

I am afraid, of late, the India -- secular and democratic -- as we know is not there. We are hoping that we will reclaim the India that we cherish.

If Modi comes to power we don't know if the biggest democratic festival -- the elections will remain or not.

The fear is that India will become a theocratic State and that is what we want to avoid by mobilising secular, democratic and Left forces.

What are your impressions of Rahul Gandhi as a politician considering you are contesting the seat that he currently represents in Parliament?

He is a respectable leader. He is a sincere Congress leader and his sincerity does not need a certificate from anyone.

He has walked the length and breadth of the country. He is the face of the INDIA alliance. I have nothing personal. He is not my enemy nor am I his enemy. We have mutual respect for each other.

Moreover, I don't think we need to discuss this because the Congress has not decided whether he will be the candidate from Wayanad or not.

So there is a possibility that he may not contest from Wayanad?

I do not know. I hope good sense prevails and together we defeat the RSS-BJP government at the Centre and save this country and people from this tragedy.

Can the BJP win any seats in Kerala in 2024?

PM himself knows that winning seats in Kerala is not easy and that is why he has made repeated visits and road shows. The people of Kerala are democratic and strongly believe in secular values which is visible in the state.

The BJP will not win any seat.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com