Q&A with Khushbu: ‘Don’t put a full stop on Rahul. Give him time.’

You were a prominent face of the DMK till some months back. You had campaigned hard for the party and were close to party chief Karunanidhi. What made you quit the DMK?
I did not speak about the reasons then and I will not speak now, or ever. If there weren’t any reason, I would not have left. There’s a breaking point, but I have great regard for party chief Kalaignar (Karunanidhi). I will not speak anything bad about him or the DMK.

Why did you choose to join the Congress now?
I have grown up nurturing the Congress ideology, seeing my whole family vote for the Congress in Mumbai where I lived till I turned 16. We had lived in a secular middle-class locality in a government accommodation, where people from different faiths and different parts of the country, lived in perfect harmony. The Congress was in power and Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. I completely believe in secularism, which the Congress truly represents. I don’t want any colour to be given to my country.

You claim that you have joined the Congress for secularism. Do you feel that the secular fabric is threatened by the Modi government?
I am scared. Whoever I have spoken to talks about saffronism, Hindutva and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. I don’t want my India to be smeared with any kind of colour or saffronism. I am not saying Prime Minister Modi is not governing well or is not a good statesman. Let us see what he can do in the next four and a half years. He has done nothing in the last six months. None of the promises have been kept. They are forcing Sanskrit on people.

You said you are a practising Muslim even after marriage (to a Hindu), but you were in atheism-driven DMK.
I am an atheist. I don’t say Allah or Jesus or Ganesha is great. I can’t say that supernatural power works for me. You have to work hard. You must leave your religion and beliefs at home. When you step into the street, you are not a Hindu, Muslim or a Christian; you’re an Indian.

The Congress secured only 19 per cent votes in the last general election and just 4.5 per cent in Tamil Nadu. Do you believe that secularism will unite all and the Congress will bounce back?
There is so much to be done. Ups and downs are part of every party. The BJP is in power today; but you don’t know what will happen after four and a half years. When people come to vote, they forget what happened in the past and only look at the current situation. Very few incidents like the Godhra carnage or the 1984 riots stay in public mind because that is part of Indian history, very dark history. If people had remembered post-Godhra riots, Mr Modi would not have become Gujarat chief or the Prime Minister.

What were the black marks on the Congress? What was reason for its decimation? Was it the mistakes of allies like the DMK and the Nationalist Congress Party?
I have just joined the party. I am not the right person to talk about it. I don’t want to say anything that will bring my party down. The 2G-spectrum scam played a very vital role. People remembered only 2G and the coal scams, forgetting what the Congress had done in the last 10 years — economic growth, job opportunities and the progress in education and health sectors. The public has short memory.

You take pride in what the Congress had done in 129 years. Do you see any saffron plot in the anniversaries of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi being overlooked by the present government?
I would like Mr Modi or someone from the BJP to answer this. They remembered to congratulate Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for his success in the upcoming election in the island nation, but forgot November 14, which is part of India’s legacy.

What is your take on dynastic politics? Indira-Rajiv-Sonia-Rahul and then Karu-nanidhi-Stalin…
I will not call it dynastic politics. When Nehruji was in power, Indira was very much interested in politics. She evolved as a person; it was her prerogative. It was the decision of leaders prior to her who decided she that was the best person to take over from Nehru. Rajiv Gandhi was happy flying for Air India. When his mother was assassinated, he was entrusted with the task. When Rajiv was assassinated, neither Mrs Sonia Gandhi nor Rahul Gandhi were in politics. Mrs Gandhi was a happy housewife taking care of her children. Responsibility was thrust upon her. As for
Mr Gandhi, it is important for him to help his mother because of her ill health. It is the duty of every son to see that his mother is comfortable.

Why one family alone? There are so many intelligent leaders in the Congress? It could be anyone, including you, why only the Gandhis?
You have many great people to contribute to the Congress. Only Mrs Gandhi is the president and Mr Gandhi is the vice-president. Who are the treasurers and general secretaries? Who are the others in the party? It is not about dynasty.

It is a dynasty… Who calls the shots in the Congress, apparently the Gandhis?
No one calls the shots; it is a party. When one person calls the shots, it becomes dictatorship.

Does this apply to Rahul Gandhi’s Congress? Can a non-Gandhi lead the Congress?
I don’t want to go back to controversial statements. In any party, anyone can take over the leadership for that matter. When the DMK was founded, did people feel that Kalaignar can take over and run the party for 70 years? When Mrs Gandhi took over, did anybody know that she was capable of running the government for 10 years and keeping the party together?

But people say Mr Gandhi failed to deliver while leading the party in the 2009 and 2014 general election?
Don’t put a full stop on Mr Gandhi. Give him time. Mr Gandhi is well read. He is not a go-getter who will promise moon and stars and attract people through his words. What I have known, seen and read about him is that he is one person who speaks what he believes in.

What message did he convey when you met him in Delhi recently?
We spoke. I will keep that within four walls. Soon you will see it through my actions. What it is and how it is done will be seen later when senior leaders spell it out.

The camp of former Union minister G.K. Vasan, who left the Congress recently, has alleged that there is a coterie around Mr Gandhi, which is hurting state Congress units?
When I met Mr Gandhi, he was absolutely alone. So I don’t know where the coterie comes from. He spoke his mind freely and I was impressed. He was clear, categorical and straightforward. If I could access Mr Gandhi, why Mr Vasan can’t?

Many in Tamil Nadu politics, particularly the BJP, want Rajinikanth to enter politics and join their party. What’s your take?
I do not know him that well. I know Kamal Haasan better.

How do you rate the performance of the present All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam regime in Tamil Nadu?
Nothing has happened. Roads are in a mess, projects are stopped halfway through and promises remain undelivered. There is no power, no job opportunities. You read in the newspapers every day that the law and order has gone haywire. As a resident of Tamil Nadu, I feel very disappointed.