As Maharashtra is all set for the upcoming assembly elections, Anish Gawande, who is the first gay national spokesperson of the Nationalist Congress Party - Sharad Pawar, talks about the key issues that his party is focusing on.
Reporter: Jagisha
Editor: Sudhanshu
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#NCP #Queer #LGBTQ #Politics #MaharashtraElections2024
Reporter: Jagisha
Editor: Sudhanshu
Follow us:
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia
#NCP #Queer #LGBTQ #Politics #MaharashtraElections2024
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NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to our blog. Today we have with us Aneesh Kawande. He is the first gay national spokesperson of India
00:06So he's associated with NCP that is Nationalist Comrade Parthi Sharad Rawal. Today we will know how his journey so far has been
00:15during campaigning. Maharashtra elections, as you all know, that now Maharashtra is going to give 20 co-votes
00:22So today we will know how his journey so far has been and what are the issues for Maharashtra and NCP
00:30So welcome to our blog Aneesh. Thank you very very much. I am very happy to be here
00:34So first of all I would like to know how your journey so far has been before entering into politics
00:42And you are the first open gay national spokesperson of India. So how has been your journey so far?
00:50And the campaigning also or the co-campaigning also?
00:53This journey has been very long. So I started off 10 years ago almost when I was in school
01:00And at that time I used to study a lot, used to watch a lot of TV and I was interested in politics and wanted to do some work
01:10So I volunteered with Milan Devra who was the then South Mumbai Member of Parliament and Union Shipping Minister and IT Minister
01:18And I was fortunate enough to be a part of their campaign. I did dot-a-dot campaigning for them
01:23And that's when I got an experience of how politics is done and what are the different parts in politics and how you can work in politics
01:34Then I went off to Columbia University for my undergraduate degree. I studied comparative literature and that's when I came out of the closet
01:43And I said, I am out now, I am out and gay. So maybe it is impossible to come back to India. So I said, I will settle in the US and maybe I will become a professor there
01:54But in 2018, Milan asked me if I would run my campaign in South Mumbai, that I am going to fight again for Lok Sabha. So I said, of course
02:06So two days after my graduation, I was on a plane back to Mumbai and on the campaign trail
02:13So from 2018 to 2019, I travelled across the state with Ashok Sawan Ji, with the Jan Sanghar Shatra, with the Maharashtra Congress
02:22Went across the length and breadth of the state. You know, I was born and raised in Mumbai, so I didn't know much about rural Maharashtra
02:31I didn't know much about the problems in rural areas, the agricultural issues, the issues of small industries, I didn't know much about them
02:41So I learned a lot in that campaign. And in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, I again ran Milan Dehraji's campaign in South Mumbai
02:51That's when I learned how to run an individual candidate's campaign. And then, unfortunately, we lost the election badly
03:00The Congress Party lost badly. But the struggle was still going on.
03:05I got some fame in the Vidhan Sabha elections. A government of Mahavikas Aghadi was formed here
03:11When the preparations for the 2024 elections were going on, I met Supriya Tai Surai and she told me to start working with NCPSP
03:20I worked there for two months and then she gave me an opportunity, for which I'm very grateful, to be National Spokesperson for the party
03:29So that's the journey I've been on in politics. I still work and write on art and literature. I'm someone who translates poetry from Marathi to English
03:40So that's what's been going on. I've been reading books, chatting with people, and now I've started campaigning in politics
03:48When you were campaigning, did you feel discriminated against by people, or did you try to understand the community on a ground level?
04:02Because sometimes we think that we can do things better on the ground level, or we can understand how things are on the ground level
04:10Especially for the LGBT community, did you face any observations on the ground?
04:16No, look, this country is filled with love. The amount of love you get from people here, you don't get anywhere else
04:26And I've been to every place for campaigning. I've been to Karanja, which is in the Vidarbha region, which is a very rural area
04:36I've been to Mumra Kausa, which is an urban village, and there's an incredibly dense, not very high-income population
04:48I've been to other places in Western Maharashtra, like Islampur, Sangli, Tazgaon, everywhere
04:59I've only remembered one thing, that if you talk about issues, if you don't use the language of dividing and cutting, and use the language of joining and learning
05:11Then you'll get support, you'll get love, it doesn't matter what your sexuality is
05:16Now, I come with caste and class privilege, I'm also a man, so it's easier for me to navigate these spaces in politics
05:27Here, if you see, when I go for campaigning, no one knows if I'm straight or gay
05:35So there's a way in which you can not hide your identity, but your identity is not part of the equation
05:41When you go in front of someone, you're going as a representative of your political party
05:47You're going with your manifesto, you're going with your agenda, you're going with the ideology that you hold
05:52If you ask the same question to someone else, particularly to a woman, their experience is very different
05:59Because even today, in politics, you see more men, it's mainly a boys' club
06:06And today, I proudly say that I have a party whose working president is a woman, Supriyata Isoling
06:15And because of her, there's been a lot more opportunities in the party for women and for people who come from other marginalized communities
06:24Be it caste marginalized communities, be it gender and sexual minorities, be it any other kind of sort of communities
06:31That have not had a place in the mainstream
06:34So if your party is with you, and if you're going in front of people with an active ideology, then the opposition is very limited
06:44You talked about your manifesto, and in the manifesto of MVE, the rights of LGBTQ plus are written
06:52So I would like to understand, how do you look at the manifesto?
06:58First of all, how effective will it be on the ground?
07:02And secondly, will the rights of people from other communities be strengthened?
07:09Will their individual rights be strengthened?
07:12And will they be able to come into the mainstream politics?
07:16What do you think about the manifesto?
07:19See, wherever I go, I talk about the manifesto
07:23Because I feel that a manifesto is a contract that a political party signs with you
07:31If you are a citizen, then you can take that contract to the politicians after the elections
07:40And you can say that you have promised in the manifesto, why hasn't it happened yet?
07:44It's a pity that we haven't taken the manifesto seriously yet
07:48But after the 2024 elections, we have reached a manifesto moment
07:53Where people are reading the manifesto of political parties
07:57They are seeing what promises are being made there
08:00And for those promises, they are also keeping the politicians accountable
08:05So today I feel that the manifesto is a very important thing
08:10Because the promises in it show the issues of an alliance of a political party
08:20What is their ideology?
08:22What is their vision for development?
08:24So today I feel that this manifesto is a living, breathing document
08:30Which keeps the vision of a political party and an alliance in front of you
08:35And in our manifesto, we have promised rights for a wide set of communities
08:39You know, we have got cervical cancer vaccines for all women
08:43Because that's an important issue
08:45We have talked about AI in agriculture
08:47Because that is an important issue
08:49AI should be there for the farmers as well
08:51We should also talk about the cropping patterns and climate change
08:57We have said that we should have a Maharashtra Olympics Association
09:02Because our players should not only have the chance to compete at the national level
09:09But they should also have the chance to compete at the international level
09:13So we have brought similar promises for LGBT community
09:17We have said that they should have an inclusive framework in education
09:23We have said that there should be mental health counselling centres
09:27Because today mental health is a big issue
09:40We have also said that there should be no discrimination in healthcare access
09:45Whether you are gay or straight
09:47If you go to a government hospital or a private hospital
09:51There should be no discrimination against you in your healthcare
09:55So these are the agendas that we want to bring to the people
09:58Because this is an ideological fight
10:02This is an ideological fight
10:05This is not a personal fight
10:06This is not a political fight
10:08We want to bring about a politics of care
10:15We want to bring about a politics of care
10:18Care for every single citizen
10:20Regardless of caste, class, creed, religion, region, language
10:24Is the most important
10:26You have listed all the issues which MCB is focusing on
10:30So other than that, what do you think on ground
10:33What are the issues you see by yourself
10:36Like these are the issues in Maharashtra
10:39And we need to focus more on this
10:42So in our Maharashtra, there is an MBBS government
10:47So this is inflation, corruption and unemployment
10:51Unfortunately, these three issues are the biggest issues in Maharashtra
10:55Today, inflation, unemployment and corruption are the three biggest issues in Maharashtra
11:01If you go, the wages have only increased by 30%
11:06But inflation has increased by 70%
11:09Particularly consumer price inflation
11:12Just this month, consumer price inflation has increased by more than 10%
11:15You are seeing a cost of living crisis in Maharashtra
11:18If you go to rural areas, unemployment is increasing
11:23And there are no jobs in agriculture
11:26Because there is no fair price for your crops
11:31These issues will be very decisive to determine the outcome of Maharashtra elections
11:38Now look at the second thing
11:41A big issue that has come up here is law and order
11:45You don't know who my father is, the culture has come to Maharashtra
11:50Look at the case of Pune-Porsche where two people were murdered
11:54An MLA had reached the police station
11:57And there was pressure on the police
12:00That the murderer should be written an essay and released
12:05That was only when the media put pressure
12:07When politicians gave statements against him
12:10Only then he was severely punished
12:13You see in Badlapur, two small children were tortured
12:19And the police put a pregnant woman outside the police station for 12 hours to file an FIR against the person who tortured her
12:30Because the trustees of that school were BJP
12:33Even today when that person was caught
12:38There was an encounter
12:40And after the encounter, a poster of Maharashtra's Home Minister was put up
12:45That Badlapur is in the hands of a gun
12:47Maharashtra has ruined the entire law and order
12:52And this is the problem
12:54Today, the atrocities against women have doubled in the last 10 years
12:59The crimes against children have tripled
13:05They have tripled in number in the last 10 years
13:08So there is a problem with law and order
13:10It is a big problem
13:12Because today, Maharashtra, which was a state where you could say
13:16That any woman can walk on the road at night
13:20Mumbai, which was said to be the safest city in the country for women
13:25It is not safe today
13:27Because you can see the entire atrocity of our Home Ministry here
13:33So today, there is a big issue of law and order
13:36And the final big issue
13:38Which is creating inequality among people
13:43That is the subversion of democracy
13:46If you see today
13:48When we say democracy is in danger
13:50Why do we say this?
13:52Because today, a system is being tried to bring
13:56Where one person will decide
13:58What can you wear?
14:01What can you eat?
14:03Who can you love?
14:05Should there be a bridge or a hospital?
14:07Should there be a metro or a bus?
14:11All these decisions are being made by one person
14:14Why is democracy in danger?
14:16Because a control is being brought on the power of our states
14:21The power of the states is being reduced
14:24You see the example of Delhi
14:26Where the Delhi Chief Minister has become completely weak in front of LG
14:31You are seeing the same situation in Maharashtra
14:34Where the municipal council elections did not take place
14:38In the last three years
14:40There are more than 25 municipal councils in our state
14:43Where elections have not taken place
14:45Corporators have not been elected
14:47And the ruling bureaucrats are ruling the whole state
14:53Which is undemocratic and illegal
14:55When you talk about changing the constitution
14:58Then you also see that our fiscal situation
15:02There is a big attack on it
15:04You do not have any fiscal responsibility
15:07And on top of that you look at GST
15:10Or look at any other taxation structure
15:12The ability of your states to generate revenue
15:16It is decreasing
15:18So the centralization of power
15:21Which is a new tradition
15:23The Bharatiya Janata Party is bringing in this state
15:26Against which the Bharatiya Janata Party has been fighting for centuries
15:31Because you will remember that the Bharatiya Janata Party is the party
15:34Who said that the state should be empowered
15:37Arun Jaitley was the first leader
15:39Who said while living in the opposition
15:42That states must be given more powers
15:44Because India is a union of states
15:47The same Bharatiya Janata Party
15:49Today is playing with the federal nature of India
15:53Not giving their rights to the states
15:56And there is a lot of dissatisfaction among the people against this
16:00That's why the slogans you will see
16:02That Maharashtra's project is going to Gujarat
16:05I do not believe in slogans
16:08Two states should not keep each other against each other
16:12But the anger among the people
16:14That the states are not getting their rights
16:17Because of that anger, these slogans are coming forward
16:20Because of that anger, this discourse is increasing
16:23So these are all issues that I think
16:25It is very important in Maharashtra at the ground level
16:29But if you look
16:31The government is putting slogans on the same issue
16:35If there is one, it is safe
16:38They have become a marketing agency
16:40And they think that by removing all these issues
16:44If you make this election about Hindu-Muslim
16:48Then you will be able to win
16:49And this is unfortunate
16:51No, the next question will be
16:53If your party comes into power
16:55As the Supreme Court's judgment was also there
16:59Now the judgment is going on
17:01That the same-sex marriage is going on
17:04Regarding legal rights
17:06So what do you have to say about it
17:08If your party comes into power
17:10How much voice will you be able to raise in the parliament
17:12And other places
17:14Look, the first MP in the parliament
17:18Who brought a private member bill for same-sex marriage
17:21That was Supriya Tai Suri
17:23Before the petition reached the Supreme Court
17:27Before the petition reached the High Court
17:29In 2021, we brought this private member's bill
17:33In the parliament
17:35But this government did not let it be introduced
17:37Did not let it be discussed
17:39So if you see, our party has always had the ideology
17:43That we will support LGBTQ rights in any way, shape or form
17:47I myself went with Supriya Tai to meet Ajit Pawar
17:51When he was the Deputy Chief Minister
17:52With the government of Mahabikash Aghadi
17:54To create a Transgender Welfare Board
17:57Along with Priya Patil Ji
17:59Who is the president of our party's LGBT cell
18:02Our party is the first party
18:04Which has created a statewide LGBTQ plus cell
18:07And Priya Patil Ji has been running it since 2020
18:10Our party is the first party
18:12Which in unequivocal terms
18:14In our national manifesto of 2024
18:18Has promised same-sex marriage
18:21Now if you see, marriage is a central issue
18:26The central government has to take a decision on marriage equality
18:30But still, because it is in the concurrent list
18:33The states have the right to take a decision on it
18:37That is why in the state manifesto of Mahabikash Aghadi
18:41In our Maharashtra manifesto
18:43We have made a demand, we have made a promise
18:47That under the Law Commission
18:49A committee will be set up
18:51Which will look at all the laws from an active point of view
18:59And will bring a progressive change of rules and laws in Maharashtra
19:04In which marriage equality will also be included
19:07And we will try our best to see what is feasible, what is possible
19:11To bring about marriage equality in Maharashtra
19:13Any plans to contest elections in future?
19:17You are asking us to run away before we even start
19:21It has been three months
19:25In this party, we have appointed a national spokesperson
19:30So right now, work is going on, work is left
19:34This work that has started, it is important to work
19:37And if the people want, we will contest elections in the coming years
19:43But I feel that today we don't need people who will contest elections
19:50Today, we need people who will come into politics
19:53And who will take a vision and reach out to the voters
19:59To change their minds, to change their thoughts
20:02And today, to reach out to the people
20:04To present a vision
20:06And to inspire the people to contest elections
20:11I want to inspire ten people to contest elections
20:15And not just me
20:17Because there are only a few like me
20:20But those who can contest and win elections
20:23There are thousands like them
20:25Who have not yet come into politics
20:29Who have not yet got the opportunity
20:31And it is very important to bring them into politics
20:34Thank you, thank you Anish for joining with us
20:37Best wishes for Maharashtra elections
20:39Thank you very much