Veteran Congress leader and former deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan claimed that there is no Modi wave in this Lok Sabha polls and that Congress will repeat its performance of the 2023 Assembly polls in Karnataka. In an interview with Salar News, Khan expressed optimism that Congress will break the stranglehold of BJP over the three prestigious constituencies in Bengaluru.

In recent years Karnataka voters have delivered mandates differently for Parliament and Assembly elections. They have preferred Congress for the State Assembly and BJP at the Centre. What is your reading for these polls?

A: No doubt, that has been the trend. The circumstances that were prevalent in the last two general elections were based on false narratives of corruption on the 2G spectrum (CAG report had claimed 2G or second generation mobile network licences were given away at throwaway prices instead of conducting free and fair auctions) and coal allocation scam. In 2014, the NDA won the polls on this narrative, which was proved wrong later. The 2G scam was falsely created by a set of bureaucrats and political parties who manipulated the figures. In 2019, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wave as he was presumed to be the only person who can lead the country. It was based on propaganda that he would uphold Hindutva ideology and build the Ram temple. This time circumstances are quite different. However, elections are not being conducted fairly by Election Commission. Congress funds have been frozen and the election process has been extended to two months, which was unnecessary. Karnataka will see a repeat of the 2023 Assembly polls, where the Congress returned to power.

How do you perceive the mood of the minorities across the country about INDIA and the NDA alliance, considering Modi's claim that Muslim women in the Hindi heartland fully support him for the triple talaq decision?

That is Modi's view. However, Muslims in India are generally not happy with his policies such as National Register of Citizens, Uniform Civil Code or abolishing the Maulana Azad scholarships. The NDA government has not taken action against those responsible for atrocities against Muslims.

How do you explain the dearth of young Muslim leadership in Congress? Is it because Congress is not encouraging young blood to come up or the seniors are reluctant to vacate the space?

Congress is the only party that provides political representation to Muslims. However, you are right, Congress is not giving election tickets to Muslims to the extent they deserve. For instance, in Karnataka, there was an opportunity to give two tickets in Lok Sabha polls, but only one was given. The perception is that due to the Hindutva wave, it is difficult for a Muslim candidate to get elected. Therefore, this is being compensated by giving them representation in the Legislative Councils. However, this may not be adequate according to the expectations of the Muslim community.

What are the reasons for Congress not being able to win the three prestigious seats from Bengaluru?

In 2009, for Bengaluru Central constituency, Congress lost because they had fielded HT Sangliana, a former police officer who belonged to a minority community, while JD(S) had put up BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan. Although the combined votes of both candidates were more than the BJP candidate who won, it was difficult to regain the constituency once lost. However, we are making efforts to win it back now. In the upcoming Bengaluru South election, Congress has a good chance of winning as they have fielded Sowmya Reddy, who is a Vokkaliga leader. Vokkaligas are large in number.

What is your message to the minorities about exercising their franchise?

The problem with minorities is that they do not come out to vote. If they do, the vote share of Congress will rise. The campaign should be to exhort the minorities to come to the polling booth because once they come, they will vote for Congress. The party has to work to bring the Muslim voters to the polling booths. -Salar News