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It was a fight against money power: Jothimani speaks after defeating Thambidurai

When Congress’ S Jothimani was chosen as the candidate for the DMK alliance in the Karur constituency, little did she expect that she would emerge a giantslayer. Her campaign in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections had proven unsuccessful against the AIADMK’s five-time MP and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha M Thambidurai. But this year, with a victory margin of over four lakh votes, the Congress leader has proven herself to be a formidable opponent. Days after the result, TNM caught up with Jothimani who reveals that even as her leads grew in the constituency, watching her party fail nationally remains a devastating experience. 

This is your first victory in a Lok Sabha election. What do you think worked in your favour this time?

Several things worked in my favour this election. I was aware that I am not from a strong financial background and will not be able to contribute too much money for the campaign. There was a discussion regarding this but the Congress President took a strong stand that a person from a humble background who is committed to work for people should not be denied a ticket. So, people accepted my candidature even before the announcement. That gave me an early boost. And on ground, it was a DMK-led campagin. The party workers accepted me whole heartedly. There were four district secretaries who worked with me and they all cooperated very well. DMK’s Senthil Balaji and I decided on a campaign strategy, made a detailed manifesto and decided we will not go for a negative campaign. My speeches were about what I will do for the constituency if I get elected. I promised them that when I submit my affidavit again five years later, there will no be single rupee gained illegally. 

You are now officially a giant slayer. You defeated the AIADMK’s Thambidurai by close to four lakh votes. 

Very few of us in the state Congress actually expected to win this contest, especially with this kind of margin. This is not just my win but one that every worker contributed to. As the campaigning progressed we saw that our message had reached the people on ground. Large crowds began to gather despite the heat and several women came just to meet me. I am grateful for this mandate and will now have to live up to the expectations of the people.

While you may have shined in Karur, your party has largely failed across the nation. 

Yes, it was very unfortunate. Even as the early numbers were coming in, my leads were going up but my party’s wasn’t. It was devastating. It is not about the party alone but the country’s future is at stake. We accept the people’s mandate and who they have elected to power. This is a democracy after all. But in the last five years we saw a government which aimed at polarising people and a Prime Minister who was spreading hatred. But they have been brought to power again. We need to introspect about our failure. As far I am concerned, we succeeded in Tamil Nadu but in the other states, we need to study what happened. The next five years will definitely be tough. 

What about Rahul Gandhi’s future in this party?

It is not merely the results of elections that decide who leads a party. While Modi was spreading hate, Rahul was spreading love, Modi was dividing people and Rahul was unifying them, Modi works for the rich and Rahul for the poor. Hatred always spreads like wildfire but love will take time. But the truth will finally prevail. A few electoral losses will not unsettle the Congress President. He is very confident and knows what he is working towards. I have complete confidence in him and his vision for the country.

Any political party can recover from electoral defeat. Even last time we got only 44 seats but we still worked towards saving the idea of India against hatred and divisive politics. We will do it this time too and Rahul Gandhi will lead the charge.

What should Congress have done differently this election?

In my opinion, we did our best. The country is polarised but I don’t blame people for that. The idea of Hinduism and Hindutva have been wrongly disseminated. If someone is really a follower of the Hindu religion, he/she should oppose the BJP. This is a line, we should have taken more aggressively. But beyond polarisation, money and media power also played a huge role in this election. People were watching what the BJP and RSS wanted them to see and were selectively informed about the country’s happenings. This can’t be reversed in a day, we have to keep fighting.

What is one takeaway for you from BJP’s electoral success?

The BJP’s election machinery at the booth level is stronger and more intact than ours. This is something that we, as a party, should work on.

India has elected a record 78 women leaders to Parliament this year. What does it mean for women in politics?

We have been fighting for more representation and even reservation for quite sometime now. I myself came to politics through reservation in the Panchayati Raj. Without it, someone like me with no relatives in politics or financial backing would not have succeeded. We will bring women’s issues to the forefront. Reservation for women, sexual harassment and cybercrimes against women can be expected to become part of mainstream discussion in the Parliament. 

What will be the Congress’ first agenda in Parliament now?

We have been given a mandate to sit in the opposition and we will be a vibrant one. We will protect the idea of India and provide constructive criticism. The Modi government has fudged economic data and even undermined institutions like the media. We will work towards ensuring they correct these mistakes. 

Source: The News Minute