Indian people who believe in democracy will throw out BJP government: Kanimozhi

The Lok Sabha election is nearing, but the bank accounts of the Congress have been frozen. Do you think it would affect the INDIA bloc’s performance? 

People of the country are watching every move of the BJP. Not only the Congress, but many journalists have also been harassed, and this shows that the BJP-led Union government hates questions being raised against it. The BJP does not hesitate to attack not only the Opposition parties but also common people using Central agencies such as the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department. But we believe that the Indian people have faith in democracy, and hence, they would not allow this to continue.  

Recently, the Delhi High Court admitted the CBI’s appeal against the acquittal of former Telecom Minister A. Raja, you and others in the 2G spectrum allocation case. Will it affect the electoral prospects of the DMK?

Not only that, even Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is a part of the INDIA bloc, has been arrested by the ED. So, we will all come together to fight against this. 

The Opposition has alleged that the DMK has links with those arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with an international drug cartel...

We are against drugs and people dealing in drugs. We are clear that such people should be punished. But it is unacceptable that such people are sought to be linked with the DMK every time. Sometimes, without due checks on their background, they might be given positions in the party; but it does not mean that the party is protecting them. Whoever the person was, they are not in the party anymore.

While smaller parties have given equal representation for women in this election, there is an allegation that larger parties such as the DMK, which are vocal about women’s rights, do not field more women. How are you going to address this gender gap?

When it comes to the election process, women have their own struggles that they must face and overcome. Many women, even when they have assets, are unable to own or utilise them. So, there are many issues that need to be addressed at the ground level. But despite this, the DMK has given a chance to three women candidates to contest the upcoming election. Still, we are in the process of nurturing women from the bottom tier by giving them opportunities at the local level, and we think it has worked out very well. 

Both the DMK and the AIADMK claim that they do not consider the BJP as a competitor in the State. But is it possible to easily ignore the national party’s presence in the 2024 election?

It is undeniable that the BJP’s vote share has gone up when compared to the previous election. It should also be noted that the party’s performance in the last Assembly election was due to the alliance it was part of. So, the minimal increase in its vote share would not help it improve its performance.

Opposition parties claim that the DMK alliance, despite having 38 MPs in the outgoing Lok Sabha, did not bring any major projects to the State in the last five years. What is your take on that?

The Union government should understand that the funds and projects that we seek from it are only for the people and not for our party. When it comes to Tamil Nadu, the BJP government has always discriminated against us, and we have not received a single penny from it for flood relief. Even so, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin decided to reach out to every affected person, and as a result, we gave ₹4 lakh each to those who lost their houses completely in the rain-induced floods. We tried our best and secured many projects for the people of the State. 

While the NDA has projected Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate, the INDIA bloc is yet to announce its candidate for the post. Do you think it would augur well for the alliance?

Portraying an individual as the party’s face is dangerous and not healthy for a democracy. While the NDA revolves around Modi, the INDIA bloc believes in its ideology. There have been several precedents of a party winning without declaring a PM candidate.

As a second time contestant in Thoothukudi what are your long-term projects which would benefit people of the district? 

We are planning to bring more industries to the district to increase the employment opportunities. Since the district faces water scarcity issues, we have worked out on a solution through a water project named 363, which aims to bring water connection to 363 rural habitations. Regarding upgrading Thoothukudi airport to International airport, we hope the new government which comes to power would listen to us and implement that.