‘People of Siwan are scared of Shahabuddin’s comeback’

PATNA: Siwan — once the fief of jailed don Mohammad Shahabuddin — is witnessing an epic battle between 4-time MP’s wife and her challenger, JD(U)s Kavita Singh, the wife of rival muscleman Ajay Kumar Singh. Kavita tells Faryal Rumi that she wants to make Siwan free of extortion and killings it was known for. Excerpts:
What are the issues you are raising in this election?
People here want peace first.The prime agenda is ‘shanti, aman, chain’. Every time there is an election, a wave of terror hits this area.
What is this terror?
It is the terror of Shahabuddin. If his wife Hena Shahab is elected, she will try to get him released from Tihar jail and the murders and extortion will return. So the prime agenda is to defeat Hena, which will stop Shahabuddin’s return.
Fear still rules in Siwan? Or is it different now that Shahabuddin is in jail?
Every time there is an election, a sense of fear overpowers people. They are scared of his comeback.
Your husband Ajay Kumar Singh is facing trials in several criminal cases
There were a few charges against him, but the court has acquitted him. He was framed by the opposition. But Shahabuddin was jailed when his own government was in power.
Do you think your husband has a ‘Bahubali’ image in Siwan?
People know him as a rival of Shahabuddin. Only RJD people call him a criminal, but those who know him call him ‘bhagwan’.
You won assembly polls twice. Are you confident of winning this time too?
People of Siwan have faith in me. If people trust a candidate her victory is guaranteed. I’m 100% sure that people want to see me as their leader.
How do you rate your work as an MLA?
I helped electrify every single village and connected all of them with roads. All schools and hospitals that were promised have been opened. There’s a Kendriya Vidyalaya, a polytechnic, a sub-divisional hospital, a community hospital in Daraundha and a model hospital in Hasanpura, while another one is being built. Power has been provided to all irrigation fields. But old-age pension scheme for senior citizens is my biggest achievement.
How do you see PM Narendra Modi’s work in these five-years?
PM Modi has won laurels for the nation. He has safeguarded the country. After Pulwama he gave a free hand to soldiers to deal with the situation. This alone will fetch votes for BJP.
What made you join politics?
My mother, who was a sarpanch of a Chhapra village, inspired me. I joined politics after marrying. I had to fill the seat of my mother-in-law Jagmato Devi, a two-term JD(U) MLA from Daraundha, who passed away in 2011. My husband could not take his mother’s place because CM Nitish Kumar insisted on giving the ticket to a woman. He (Nitish) had told Ajay to marry a girl who can get into active politics.