NEW YORK (Diya TV) — On The Public Interest, Diya TV host Ravi Kapur sat down with Vichal Kumar, a longtime legal advocate now running for Congress in New York’s 7th District. Kapur introduced Kumar as a former national leader of the South Asian Bar Association and as a candidate jumping into a wide-open contest.
Kumar framed his run around one theme: the system fails everyday people, and Washington has to change. “This is a pivotal moment in our country right now,” Kumar said. He argued that institutions “are failing working class people,” and he blamed both rights rollbacks and economic pressure for deepening instability.
Kumar pointed to his background as his main credential. He told Diya TV he has spent over two decades helping New Yorkers in crisis. He described clients facing eviction. He described families dealing with deportation threats. He described people who could not access healthcare or benefits.
“It was my job, my privilege, my honor” to support them, he said. He added that he always tried to make sure “people left my office in a better place.”
Kumar said he built two offices into “holistic community hubs.” He described them as places where clients could bring any urgent need. He said his teams connected people to legal support and stabilizing services. He argued that those cases taught him how systems grind people down.
Kapur pushed Kumar on a blunt reality: campaigns reward popularity. Kumar answered by leaning into communication and proof. He said he has spent the past few years exporting his community-hub model beyond New York. He listed work across the country, including rural and conservative areas.
That experience shaped his messaging, Kumar said. In some places, he talks about efficiency. In others, he talks about fiscal responsibility. He insisted he can do that without dropping his values.
Then he simplified his core pitch. Voters want results. “What is it that you’ve actually been able to drive for people?” he asked. He said his campaign centers “delivery.” He described showing up when ICE targets families. He described fighting unlawful evictions. He described helping people access essentials like food stamps and Medicaid.
Kapur asked what residents in the district feel most right now. Kumar put immigration enforcement at the top. He said the campaign strongly supports “dismantling ICE.” He explained why he used the word “dismantle.” He called ICE “one symptom of a much larger problem.”
Kumar argued that the country needs a reimagined immigration system. He also warned that enforcement includes more than what the public sees on the street. He described what he called a growing detention and surveillance framework.
He also stressed a point he thinks persuades a wider audience. ICE does not only hit major cities. He described conversations in places far from New York. He cited a trip to West Virginia. People there asked him about South Asian interpreters, he said, after ICE raids in local motels and gas stations. “That’s nowhere in the news,” he added. Kumar argued that hidden stories like that can move people who don’t live in big cities.
Kapur noted the district has an open seat. He also noted a packed field with candidates from many backgrounds. Kumar called that competition healthy. “This is what the democratic process is about,” he said. He framed the primary as a chance for candidates to “make the case” directly to voters.
Kapur also asked about the energy of New York politics right now. He brought up Zohran Mamdani, another Desi candidate who surprised many observers by winning a major race. Kumar said that kind of campaign shows the power of communication. He described it as an example of someone “captur[ing] the imagination of people” and making government feel possible again.
Still, Kumar drew a line between local politics and Washington. “D.C. is a very different political environment than New York is,” he said. He described Congress as a harder arena for governance. He argued his experience balances immediate service with long-term institution building.Kapur closed by praising first-time candidates who step into the arena. He told Kumar the race won’t be easy. He also said he looks forward to tracking the contest.
This report reflects statements made by Vichal Kumar during Diya TV’s exclusive interview on The Public Interest with Ravi Kapur.
