Farmers Movement Archive

‘BJP stands for everything we do not want Tamil Nadu to become’: Kanimozhi

Thoothukudi MP and DMK’s women’s wing secretary Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has been touring the state for five months as the party’s star campaigner and the tallest woman leader. On her way to campaigning in Tiruchendur for DMK candidate Anitha Radhakrishnan on March 29, Kanimozhi told Divya Chandrababu that though they were rivals, late J Jayalalithaa never gave up Tamil Nadu’s rights but the present AIADMK government was a “puppet” of the BJP. She spoke about BJP’s alleged attempts to disturb communal harmony in Tamil Nadu, sexism in the poll campaign while claiming that the DMK will form a government that is inclusive. Here are some edited excerpts from the interview:Q. You began campaigning in November on the ground, meeting various groups in villages and now you are addressing rallies. What have you gathered?A. I think there is a lot of displeasure against the government. People feel let down. Unemployment is at all time high. In the ten years (of AIADMK government), honestly, no investment has come into the state so there has been no growth in job opportunities. And look at the infrastructure-- this road is a good example. Except for the 8-lane highway (Chennai-Salem expressway), which they want, they are not interested in laying or repairing any roads. They’ve been an anti-farmer government, supporting the farm bills. They’ve also not ensured that crop insurance reaches the farmers. Every time we had floods, cyclones, drought, they’ve not reached out and given the farmers any compensation.Q. Is the displeasure only against the state government or the AIADMK-BJP combine?A. People feel that it is a BJP-run government in Tamil Nadu. BJP is making the decisions and the AIADMK is just implementing what is being dictated. So, that has actually doubled the anger against the government. Have they ever gone against any BJP order? Why would anybody go and support the farm bills or the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), in spite of knowing it won’t bring any good and won’t be taken well in Tamil Nadu. At least if they believed in it and supported the bills, maybe we could have accepted it. But, today, when the elections are close, they’re going back to the people and saying that they will emphasise that the Centre withdraws the bills. So that is where we feel there is so much pressure that they can’t take a stand on anything.Agriculture doesn’t even come under the central government list. Karnataka BJP minister J C Madhuswamy has raised the issue that the central government is infringing on the state rights. Our state which has always been insisting on state rights and federalism, is silent. Right from Anna (DMK founder C N Annadurai) to Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi), even Jayalalithaa-- they wouldn’t give up on state rights. We had differences (with Jayalalithaa) but she wouldn’t compromise on state rights. She wouldn’t be happy that this government has no issues compromising on that front. They are mere puppets in the hands of the BJP. Same with the UDAY scheme (centre’ power distribution utilities), she resisted it and wouldn’t accept it. But the present government has meekly signed up for it.Q. Jayalalithaa’s war cry in the previous assembly election was “Modi or Lady”…Yet, now, one of their ministers said Jayalalithaa was their mother and now Modi is their father. Obviously, they call their leader mother and now their next leader, they’re calling their father. Now, we know who their leader is.Q. Chief minister and the alliance leaders have said if DMK comes to power there will be lawlessness.I’m the Thoothukudi MP. The CM killed 13 people here (police firing at anti-Sterlite protesters) and the father and son died in custody (Jayaraj and Bennicks in 2020). He has no right to talk about lawlessness.Q. You’ve said before that women are going to be the deciding factor in this election. Women electorate outnumber men in Tamil Nadu.A. Yes, definitely. And, I think, they’ve become more assertive about their decision making. That’s what I see from meeting women in different parts of the state. Before, it was always believed that women will go along with what the husband or what the family decides. But, now, I can see that there is a very clear minded choice. I think there is more awareness. I am certain that women are looking for leadership which reflects their aspirations and choices, which they will find only in the DMK.Q. Women are a traditional vote bank of the AIADMK. What do you think they want in this election?A. Women want jobs. They want some industry and some kind of job opportunities where they live so they can have a career and income. I see this everywhere I go among the young and middle-aged women. Self-help groups which were doing very well under the DMK government are to be brought back. They want dignity. Sharing of house-hold work is still a distant dream. Making sure there is food on the table, bringing water to home is a woman’s responsibility. They have to wait hours to get a pot of water and going to rations shops is a huge battle. These are issues which hurt them every day. And without women’s safety, there is no empowerment. In every sense, they have been let down by the AIADMK government.Q. Both DMK and AIADMK have promised a payout for women to address unpaid labour at home. Is that a temporary solution until you create jobs for women?A. We have suggested a Universal Basic Income scheme. Covid-19 has hurt the economy in a very big way. You have to put back money in the hands of people to revive the economy, and there can be no better choice than women for this purpose. This will also empower them.Q. How crucial is this assembly election, the first since the demise of your father and Jayalalithaa?A. It’s very important. You know, we have to preserve what Tamil Nadu has stood for. TN has always been a development focussed state. Our human development indices have always been good. We want to ensure that we continue to progress. When you look at investments, we have fallen from the third place to the 14th place. Without job opportunities everything gets hit. In TN, we have been proud of our PDS and social justice. This is the basic fabric of TN and this is what keeps us away from communal disharmony. And the BJP is trying to change it. People will not like it. We have different religions and castes but we live in peace and harmony. There is no hatred. There is acceptance of differences. People from across the country live here. It’s a friendly place. It’s because everyone is focussed on development, education, social justice. See the NEET exam, the New Education Policy is unfair. Cluster schools and huge universities are being talked about for 6000 students. It might work in a developed nation but in our country it’s not easy. In a TN school in Valparai, there is only one student and we have not closed down that school. That’s what TN stands for. If you shut down remote schools, the first to be hit will be girls’ education besides the financially and socially marginalised. You have to understand the country before coming out with a policy. What the NEP is targeting in 2030 we have already achieved in TN-- 50% of our population has gone to higher education.Q. You have been at the forefront of speaking up against Hindi-imposition. Do you think it is a factor in the election?A. Definitely. We are not against any language but when there is no need, don’t impose something on people.Q. BJP has mobilised more than 40,000 booth-level committees, pumping infrastructure projects to gain a foothold in TN. Do you think they’re connecting with people on the ground?A. No, they don’t have booth-level committees here. They are bringing booth-level people to work for their candidates from neighbouring states like Karnataka. Maybe in a few pockets (they have a connect) but overall, I don’t think so. People are angry and upset with the BJP. They stand for everything which we do not want TN to become. The Hindutva ideology and... while majority of TN people are Hindus, religion is personal here. Everyone participates in all festivals. When some leaders say all true Tamils are Hindus, what are they trying to do? We have Jains, Muslims and Christians, who are as Tamil as anybody else.Q. What is your opinion of Narendra Modi?A. As a person he is very warm. He came and met my father when he was not well. But politically we stand for completely different ideologies. They stand for something which we don’t want in Tamil Nadu. We should never bring in hate. There will not be peace for decades if you bring in religious division among people.Q. What are you trying to convey to the people as DMK’s star campaigner?A. I’m saying if you bring in hate and disharmony, it stalls everything else. The future becomes unsafe for your own children. I’m talking about the importance of development, jobs, a better life for people and an inclusive society. I mean inclusive for everybody; for the differently-abled; the transgender; women; all castes; all religions.Q. What do you think of other women candidates like BJP’s Khushboo Sundar who was previously with the DMK and also Premalatha Vijayakanth?A. Both of them are very strong women and I know them personally. I’ve always been saying more women are needed in assemblies and parliament. You can’t make laws, changes without listening to 50% of the population. That’s why we insisted on the Women’s Reservation Bill, which was an election promise of the BJP but I don’t know why they are not bringing it.Q. But the DMK has fielded only 12 women out of 173 candidates..A. Many of the constituencies which we had earmarked for women candidates had to go to the allies. Once you bring the Women’s Reservation Bill nothing can change it.Q. What is your reaction to the sexism on the campaign trail including comments by the DMK leaders (such as A Raja)?A. I had tweeted earlier about it.Q. Even if it happens within the party, you’d take a stand?A. Definitely. And it’s good that he (Stalin) also condemned it. Not many leaders would have done that.Q. Does it hurt that even after so many years you continue to face sexist comments and questions?A. Sometimes, yes. I ignore it as much as possible. It talks more about the mindset of the person than about me. This is what I tell myself. This is what they will keep using against women in public life-- whoever tries to come up. We have to ignore it and keep cleaning the system. It has to be a simultaneous process. We have to start at school-level and teach children not to objectify women. I think it’s an entire mindset, which exists in every corner of the society. Our films, literature reek of sexism.Q. From whom do you draw your political influences?A. My father, Periyar (EV Ramasamy), Anna...I’ve always admired the unflinching fighting spirit of communist party leaders like K Balabharathi, U Vasuki.Q. Since when did you start nursing political ambitions?A. I never wanted to be a politician. When my father wanted me to go to the Rajya Sabha, I resisted a lot, but then, I think all daughters give in to their fathers. He said we need you and once you get in it’s easier to get things you believe in done rather than being outside politics. I think he was right in a way. I felt I was making a big sacrifice. But it has given a lot of meaning. We have been fighting for rights for the differently-abled for years and right in front of my eyes, when they were protesting, he invited them when he was the chief minister and in ten minutes, except for a couple of things, nearly all their requests were met over the table.Q. So who decided that you should fight 2019 Lok Sabha elections?A. That was my decision. I wanted to contest and I discussed it with my brother. Once I’ve decided to stay, better to go into electoral politics.Q. What is your ultimate goal in politics?A. When I think of my constituency there are certain things like agriculture based industry, more jobs, women empowerment, better colleges and upgrading the schools that I want. When the DMK government comes, I would like to help resolve certain issues like women empowerment, safety of children, women and the marginalised. In Parliament, I’d like to speak more and bring the Central government to make a change. I don’t have just one goal, it keeps changing as we go on. Maybe if you ask me what I will do after retirement from politics, maybe I’ll write- that’s my goal. I want to start writing fiction. I still read a lot of fiction.Q. When we asked Stalin what advice his father would have given him at this juncture, he said he would have asked him to throw away the communal forces and restore TN’s self-respect. What do you think?A. This is exactly what DMK stands for-- federalism, self-respect, social justice and a society where everyone is equal. He would have asked us to ensure that.Q. What kind of a leader do you think Stalin would make?A. He’s been a very good administrator and a very hard-working politician. He’s one of those MLAs who is in his constituency and takes care of its people. So, I think he will put in the same hardwork and dedication when he is chief minister.

Hindustan Times

04-04-2021

India