Express Interview | Dhangekar doesn’t belong to Congress, his ideology keeps changing every election: Kamal Vyavahare

Vyavahare, the ex-general secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee, spoke to Soham Shah about why she decided to resign from the Congress.

Q: Did you have any internal discussions in the party before resigning?

Vyavahare: I have not rebelled but first resigned from the Congress party and then filed my nomination. I went to discuss [the issue] with almost all senior party leaders in the state but unfortunately, no one responded.

Q: Ravindra Dhangekar won the Kasba Peth seat by beating the BJP after many years. It was said to be an important victory. Why did you feel the Congress should not nominate him again?

Vyavahare: Dhangekar alone is not responsible for the defeat of the BJP in Kasba Peth. All of us as a team worked hard to achieve that goal. Dhangekar does not belong to the Congress party… his ideology has kept changing every election and everyone knows that.

I am the only woman to be elected as a corporator five times. Was that not enough for my party to think about me rather than importing a candidate from a different ideology and party? Every party speaks about women’s participation in active politics, and the Congress does too. But a shocking fact is that the Congress has not given a ticket to any woman for an Assembly election in Pune. This is the main reason why I chose to fight this election independently.

Q: What are the issues in Kasba Peth that you promise to solve if elected?

Vyavahare: Kasba has been facing the same issues for 40 years and nothing has changed: old structures around Shaniwar Wada, narrow lanes, women’s safety, lack of toilets for women, traffic jams, and slum issues.

Q: What is your ideology behind fighting this election?

Vyavahare: I have actively been doing social work for the last 40 years and my ideology has been based on people’s development and their well-being. It remains the same today.