Thoothukudi: “I do not believe in caste. I would perhaps call myself hybrid,” said DMK’s candidate Kanimozhi in an interview to DC in the midst of her hectic campaigning in Thoothukudi Lok Sabha constituency on Monday. She stoutly denied the suggestion she chose this constituency because it is Nadar-dominated and her mother is a Nadar.
“On the other hand, my opponent (BJP president Dr Tamilisai Sounderarajan) is flaunting her (Nadar) caste tag to seek votes, which is sad coming from an educated person and that too from the daughter of well-known Congress leader Kumari Anandan. People who seek votes based on their caste and community are a shame”, said Kanimozhi referring to the rival’s speeches and campaign posters.
“My father had been in politics for over six decades and he never used caste as a poll plank. Is my opponent conveying she would not work for the people not belonging to her caste? We should rise above caste; that’s what the entire Dravidian politics is all about.
“I am seeking votes on the plank of development, not because I belong to this community or my grandfather belonged to that community. I am telling the people of Thoothukudi I will work for you and I will be with you. I had worked in this constituency earlier and am now asking people to give me a chance this time to serve as their MP,” said Kanimozhi on why she chose to shift from Rajya Sabha, where she had been a member for 12 years, to bid for a LS seat.
She said she did not try contesting for Lok Sabha earlier because she had been bogged down in the 2G case and would not have done justice to being the representative of a constituency, “which is very intense as that gives you the responsibility to upgrade the infrastructure of a huge space and improve the lives of a huge population, fulfil their expectations”.
Now she can focus all her energy on Thoothukudi, if elected, she said, pointing out that she had adopted a village in the constituency, Sri Venkatesapuram, for development using her MPLAD funds many months back when local panchayat president Vijayalakshmi approached her for help. “Vijayalakshmi was an independent, did not belong to any party. I was so touched by her commitment to serve people that I readily participated in that effort.”
Insisting that people are well aware of the court acquitting her in the 2G case, Kanimozhi said the rival parties still raking it up for electoral gain will not sell with the voter. True, the concerned agencies have gone on appeal but the petition is yet to be admitted “and I am sure the judges will understand when they read the case”. On other hand, her rival at Thoothukudi “comes from a party that represents the Rafale and farm insurance scams and has a leader who was the CM of Gujarat when the Godhra riots happened.”
Asked about the issues she was focussing in her campaign, Kanimozhi said she is promising all-round development and vast improvement in creating jobs for the unemployed youth “when our alliance wins all the 40 seats, including the one in Puducherry”. She is also talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “betrayal of the south” while remaining “obsessed with his Gujarat”. Where was the need for the Rs 1.1 lakh crore bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, when that money could have been used for upgrading the entire Indian railway lines, she asked.
Insisting that people of Tamil Nadu “are already very angry” with Modi for multiple reasons, she said the PM chopped down TN’s Gaja relief request and did not bother to send any of his ministers to console the families of the people shot down by the police during the anti-Sterlite agitation. And the Neet suicides still haunted public conscience. “Tamil Nadu boasts of having maximum number of government medical colleges and excellent healthcare infrastructure even at the village level. Today, the Modi government has made sure our students can’t even enter medical colleges. Neet takes away the confidence of our rural students,” she said, visibly agitated.
This ‘anger’ plus the overwhelming support witnessed in DMK chief Stalin’s campaign rallies made it amply clear that the DMK-Congress alliance would sweep the April 18 polls in TN, Kanimozhi said.
On the charge that opposing industries, such as Sterlite, would badly hit TN’s industrial development and overall growth, the DMK MP said government should focus on non-polluting industries and also develop the small and medium scale industries, and farm enterprises. “For example, this Thoothukudi region can have industries using palm tree produce as raw material”.
Insisting that jobs were lost not just because of closing down of industries, such as Sterlite Copper, Kanimozhi said many lost their jobs and livelihood due to economic policies of the Centre like GST and demonetisation. “Cottage industries such as the ones in Kovilpatti making peanut bars and other snacks have taken severe beating. The fireworks industry is in doldrums”, she said.
Asked about the growing menace of ‘cash-for-votes’ threatening the very foundation of Indian democracy, Kanimozhi said it was true that corruption during polls is a huge worry and the phenomenon must go. “If money plays a role, then many candidates who are really good but cannot afford to spend big, will opt out and that’s bad for the country. This menace was prevalent in many countries and they came out of it. It takes time. I am sure our people too will realise and this menace will be history here too,” she said.
Is she missing her father when she is now trying to make her debut in the Lok Sabha? “I certainly miss him”, she replied, suddenly looking forlorn. “He knew every village, party people and their issues. He had vast knowledge of the state. He would have guided us well”, she said, adding that her brother Stalin too “is a great teacher”.
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