Kanimozhi Karunanidhi is super confident of the DMK winning the May 16 elections and her father M Karunidhi getting his sixth term as Chief Minister. Amid her hectic electioneering criss-crossing Tamil Nadu, the ebullient Rajya Sabha member shared with DC her perspective of the voters’ mood.
Q Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has released her AIADMK party’s poll manifesto now, with unprecedented welfare measures. Do you think this will impact your party’s prospects?
I thought she was taking her time scripting the manifesto, but now I find she has photocopied our DMK manifesto. The only thing that stands out there is the 50 per cent subsidy for women buying scooters and moped, but I wonder how that is going to be possible. This alone will cause a burden of Rs.50,000 crore upon the government.
Q Some of the media surveys have predicted a DMK win. Are you happy? Has this upped the cadre morale?
Of course I am happy; but then, our leader has always said he did not give credence to these surveys. And our cadres’ morale is not based on the surveys either. Their spirits are really soaring and that’s because of their commitment and hard work, besides the energy permeating from the leadership.
Q You have toured extensively, so has your brother Stalin. How confident are you of winning?
We are forming the government.
Q With Mr Karunanidhi as the Chief Minister?
Yes.
Q Is that the tonic for the cadres?
Definitely.
QTamil Nadu voters have almost always rejected the ruling party at an election, except for MGR on two occasions and even then, there was the sympathy factor—first time because of his dismissal by Indira Gandhi and the next poll he was hospitalised in Brooklyn. Does the DMK’s confidence in victory stems mainly from this anti-incumbency factor?
There are many reasons why people want this government to go. This government did not function at all. There is no infrastructure, no development, no industries, no agriculture, law and order is really bad. This government hasn’t done anything in five years.
Q But the government has been saying that its welfare schemes have touched everyone, every family—from laptops for students, gold for thali, the Amma canteens, and so on..
Let’s take this question in two parts. One is the freebies. In a developing nation, certain welfare schemes are important and cannot be done away with. But more important are development projects. Infrastructure, bringing in industries, protecting agriculture, laying roads, improving education system and healthcare, and so on. This government did nothing of this. The DMK has always believed in balancing welfare with development.
Q Like the Chinese proverb—don’t just give a fish but teach to fish?
We had done both, giving the fish and teaching how to fish. She (Jayalalithaa) had not come out with a single project to produce one unit of power.
Q But Jayalalithaa had a Global Investors’ Meet…
Tell me how many industries came to Tamil Nadu after that. Not one rupee in investment came. How many jobs were created? Nothing. All claims and nothing else. Tiruppur is shutting down, so is Coimbatore. All over the state, industries are closing. These five years have been a complete waste suffered by the people of Tamil Nadu. In fact, this has been her worst tenure in office when it comes to governance. And talking of freebies, you all know in what state the mixies and grinders were when they were given out. I ask people everywhere and they tell me these things are mostly in repair shops or simply given away. And the cows and goats did not go to the needy.
Q The DMK manifesto talks of Anna Canteens. Does this mean that Amma Canteens will become Anna Canteens? Will Omanthurar super-specialty hospital go back to become the state secretariat?
Of course, Omanthurar will become the state secretariat. Our government had spent so much on building that structure designed to house the Secretariat and Assembly. That building, I have seen, is not right for a hospital. It’s torture for the patients to be there, just as it has been torture for the government staff and officers to work in the cramped Fort St George. Many work seated in corridors.
Q And so there will be review of all the Jayalalithaa projects?
There will be a review, but we will not change just for the sake of changing things. Like what she did when she came to power. Remember she stopped the Maduravoyal Express Corridor. The Anna Centenary Library will see a big revival to take it to world standards. We had built it on the model of the Singapore National Library but this government wasted it.
Q Coming back to this election, was it a setback to the DMK when Vijayakanth turned away from Mr Karunanidhi’s invitation to join the front?
It would have helped the DMDK if it had joined our front. Their not joining makes no difference to us.
Q So how do rate the People’s Welfare Alliance in this poll?
Let’s see after the elections.
Q Earlier, others merely joined the alliances led by the DMK and the AIADMK; but this time, we have the PWA with a CM candidate, the PMK has one and there’s Seeman saying the youth will back him. Does this show a weakening of the Dravidian majors or the sudden spurt of bravado even among the smaller political outfits?
Some of them want to test their own strength but still, only the DMK and the AIADMK are the major players. People are looking only at them seriously.
Q The BJP seems to have growing ambitions in Tamil Nadu. Do you have any advice for Amit Shah?
Anybody can be ambitious. But then, BJP will have to understand Tamil Nadu a little better, the Dravidian ideology here.
Q DMK has been accused of breeding family rule. This does not seem to change as we find quite a few sons and daughters of leaders as candidates in this poll?
It is a positive trend to have young people come in. If somebody’s son or daughter wants to work for the party and participate in the elections, that is good. This is welcome. This is exactly what our Dravidian movement is able to achieve—attract the next generation into its fold.
Q What about the voters? Are the young people attracted to your Dravidian ideology and will vote?
Definitely. The youth are looking at growth opportunities, jobs. And they know only a DMK government will ensure that.
Q Mr Karunanidhi, aged 93, is still going strong, so full of energy. What’s the secret of your dad’s energy and confidence?
Work, more work. He loves being with people.
Q Yoga? Diet?
Not much of yoga. He is very careful about food, prefers vegetarian most of the time. He works hard, wakes up early. Reads all the newspapers first thing in the morning.
Q June 3 is his birthday. Will you have a gala celebration this time?
He begins his birthday by planting a sapling early morning. He will do that this time too.
