Outlook speaks with Singai G. Ramachandran who is the candidate for the AIADMK party. Tamil Nadu goes to the poll in the first phase of the election on 19 April.
#LokSabha2024 #GeneralElections2024 #TamilNadu #ReportersGuarentee #ElectionsWithOutlook
Follow us:
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia
#LokSabha2024 #GeneralElections2024 #TamilNadu #ReportersGuarentee #ElectionsWithOutlook
Follow us:
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 I get damn irritated when I see all these BJP people, they talk all the time just about the religion.
00:06 I am saying people don't have jobs, people don't have food.
00:09 People are struggling with so many things and you just use this tool just because you want to get votes.
00:15 When I was first introduced to your candidacy, it came to me in a very specific moment because
00:27 Annamalai had launched all kinds of this dire drive against you saying you came under this quota and all of that.
00:32 I came under the?
00:34 No, he said that you came under MLA quota, he said this kind of thing, you are a child of privilege etc.
00:41 But then I watched your video and I saw something that was very special for me because
00:45 you were not attacking people, you were very calm, very moist and you were just giving fact after fact.
00:52 And that was my first introduction to you as a politician.
00:55 What I want to say is what do you think of this culture that Annamalai is bringing?
00:59 They are just basically throwing, assassinating everybody's character, throwing shit on people.
01:02 What do you think of that culture?
01:04 See, he is very anxious.
01:06 I am very calm because I am very confident.
01:09 I am the son of the soil, I have done so much work so far here.
01:12 I really know what is the ground reality and I know I will win.
01:17 So, I am very calm and confident.
01:18 But on the contrary, he was not even interested in contesting which he himself told in the press meet after he got the ticket.
01:25 He said I don't want to go there but anyway they are asking me to contest, that's why I am contesting.
01:29 That's how even he started the press meet.
01:32 And then because of the fear of failure, he is attacking everybody.
01:36 Not only me, even the press, every person possible he is attacking.
01:40 And see, only if you have less confidence or if you feel inferior, you will get hurt and react to all such things.
01:48 When there are facts and figures and I know who I am.
01:51 I don't want anybody to acknowledge me and say, hey this is who you are.
01:55 So, that's how I responded with composure.
01:58 The second thing is you were also in charge of the IT wing at some point, right?
02:03 With the ADLT.
02:04 What do you think of this BJP making the IT wing its end?
02:07 Like as if the IT wing is the electorate because you see that every day it's saturated.
02:11 It's name calling.
02:14 What do you think has happened to the actual politics of making the people versus the IT wing type of politics?
02:19 See, yesterday I would have met 15,000 people in 45 points.
02:23 Day before yesterday in Sulud constituency, MLA constituency, in 70 points I would have met 20,000 people altogether.
02:32 I don't think BJP will even know that there are 70 points in this constituency.
02:36 They believe in social media because they don't have people on the ground.
02:41 Even the booth agents, they are using volunteers.
02:43 They're using paid people.
02:45 So, there is no emotion there.
02:47 But when I go there to each of these points, people are literally celebrating that we are going to win.
02:52 This is ADMK.
02:53 This is the party.
02:53 We are more than 50 years old.
02:55 So, if I may advise to BJP what Adnan Malik should have focused for the past three years
03:01 instead of just branding himself in social media is to form proper booth structure with which he can work.
03:06 He did not do that because he never expected that he will get an opportunity to contest.
03:11 He thought someone will be the scapegoat.
03:14 So, why should I bother?
03:15 I will get all the fame.
03:16 And then I can probably get a nominated post or something.
03:20 Suddenly, when he was asked to contest, now it's like whatever bad thing he did,
03:24 he's facing the same thing right now, the heat.
03:26 There is no point in getting just like and retweets in Twitter or Instagram.
03:31 I will show you.
03:32 Please come with me.
03:33 Yesterday and day before, you guys should have joined me.
03:36 All those people, none of them are on Instagram.
03:38 I'm not saying social media doesn't have an impact.
03:40 It does have an impact.
03:41 But you cannot base your entire election based on just social media.
03:47 Yesterday, for instance, we went to the Rahul Gandhi rally.
03:51 And one of the things that he said really stood out because he says that this election
03:56 is an election of two different ideologies.
03:57 The Hindu-Troya ideology that you know wants to separate the people.
04:01 And the Ramayanan ideology or the people's ideology.
04:03 We are all united.
04:04 How does the ADMK look at this specific election?
04:07 At least, where you're concerned.
04:08 You're standing in Coimbatore.
04:09 Yeah, yeah.
04:10 So, we are a secular party.
04:13 And we want to make sure everybody gets everything.
04:16 In Tamil, we say, "Ellarum ellamu pera vennam, illamai illadhanale vennam."
04:19 Rahul Gandhi telling this is okay.
04:23 But I feel bad for Congress.
04:25 So, he is like a part-time politician.
04:28 He should do much better.
04:29 He's not giving a good fight.
04:31 He should give a good fight.
04:32 And I think based on different regional parties here and there, now at least they are getting
04:38 some traction.
04:39 They are going to give a good fight across the nation.
04:42 We don't know who is going to win.
04:43 I'm not going to say 100% Modi is going to win.
04:46 Definitely not.
04:47 We will know only when the result comes.
04:48 It is not the way it is projected in the media.
04:52 Everybody says, "Oh, Modi will get 400 seats.
04:53 Mark my words, he will not get it."
04:55 I want to ask one question.
04:56 Two questions I have.
04:58 One is going to your secularism situation.
05:00 How do you articulate secularism?
05:03 Like the BJP says, "Sarvdharam sambhava," which means all religion equals.
05:07 No, no.
05:07 They just say it.
05:08 But they don't mean it.
05:09 What we do is like ADMK.
05:11 See, you need to look at the actions rather than what a politician speaks.
05:16 I can today talk anything, right?
05:18 But what am I doing will tell what I actually mean.
05:22 So, the schemes for Christians, Muslims, Hindus, you can look at it from ADMK's government
05:30 side.
05:30 It was for everybody.
05:31 And also, we wish for all religion festivals.
05:35 We participate in all religious festivals.
05:37 Unlike DMK, which is very particular and they wish only for certain festivals, they
05:43 don't respect all the religion.
05:44 And BJP, you know, they don't consider apart from Hindu religion, any other religion as
05:50 a religion.
05:51 That's how they project themselves.
05:53 But according to us, AIDMK, we respect all the religions.
05:56 It's your belief.
05:57 We respect that.
05:57 It's our belief.
05:58 Respect us.
05:59 It should be inclusive, right?
06:00 So, the question basically is also that do you think the state should not interfere in
06:05 any religion thing, which is what the constitution kind of stands for?
06:09 I get damn irritated when I see all these BJP people, they talk all the time just about
06:15 the religion.
06:16 I'm saying people don't have jobs.
06:18 People don't have food.
06:19 People are struggling with so many things.
06:22 And you just use this tool just because you want to get votes.
06:25 Use that hijab issue.
06:26 And then people are breaking their heads.
06:28 You are going in an AC car because you just want to focus on the vote bank.
06:31 I don't think they can give any progress.
06:34 And I think their only agenda is to split, divide, and rule, which I'm 200% against.
06:41 I will make sure Coimbatore stays intact because I don't want even a single brick to move out
06:48 of Coimbatore.
06:48 And that is one more reason we are campaigning aggressively to make sure that such things
06:54 doesn't intrude the ecosystem of Coimbatore, where there is peace and harmony.
06:57 Okay.
06:58 And other thing is Coimbatore is very interesting in this election.
07:01 In the sense that Tamil Nadu, the division politics and all of that has been there.
07:05 And we also know from North India that maybe they will not be that much enrolled by the
07:10 BJP.
07:11 Maybe like let's say even if you're very hopeful, those seats will be won.
07:14 But they will not be won.
07:15 They won't be won.
07:16 They will be beaten.
07:18 But the other thing is Coimbatore also is a very interesting constituency because of
07:22 the history of, you know, there was a bomb blast which Modi has used in terms of doing
07:27 his roadshow over there.
07:28 That's what I'm saying.
07:29 I'm saying.
07:30 How do you resist that kind of polarization?
07:33 I'll put one word in Tamil.
07:35 There is a cheque here which was taken by Vavusi.
07:38 Vavusi Thidumarana, right?
07:40 So, there are much better big things where you can talk about Coimbatore.
07:45 Exactly.
07:45 It's famous for a lot of things.
07:47 But you want to go and particularly take that point as a Prime Minister of a country,
07:52 trigger that.
07:53 What kind of signal are you trying to give?
07:55 Exactly.
07:56 You are giving the same signal.
07:57 I want to divide and rule.
07:58 I want to divide and rule.
07:59 Do you think people outside would probably want to invest in Coimbatore if you keep giving
08:02 such signals?
08:03 Exactly.
08:03 We want to forget that incident.
08:05 It happened.
08:06 Okay, fine.
08:07 Now we want to move on.
08:08 We want to see growth.
08:09 But he is still interested in hanging or holding that particular incident because they won't
08:14 hold.
08:14 At the end of the day, I'm asking Modi directly.
08:16 Last 10 years, what have you done for Coimbatore?
08:19 I'm asking Anna Malai directly.
08:20 Last three years, what have you done?
08:21 Because of GST, because of a lot of the thread price issues, the hand loom, the power loom,
08:28 the pump industry, the foundry industry, the motor industry, the grinder industry, all
08:32 of them are struggling.
08:33 50% of production has reduced in power loom.
08:37 And the dyeing industry and banyan industry is almost dying.
08:40 What did Anna Malai do for the last three years except walking on the road saying 'Namman,
08:45 Nammakkal'?
08:46 For 'Namman', what did you do?
08:47 For 'Nammakkal', what did you do?
08:49 You were just doing a drama.
08:50 You were just branding yourself.
08:51 I have a question on this.
08:52 Coimbatore was earlier a CPMC, but also it comes from a huge trade union background.
08:57 There's a huge sympathy for the left.
08:58 And see, when we talk about right-wing, we also have a culture in India.
09:03 We make it religious right.
09:05 We're not talking about the actual right-wing, which is the country of the capitalist, the
09:09 rule by the capitalist, which is what Modi is doing.
09:11 How much are you addressing these issues?
09:13 The issues of workers versus the power being saturated in the hands of pro-decapitalists?
09:18 See, all the schemes that ADMK has given so far, you take it giving gold for the Mangal
09:26 Sutra, or money for people to get married, or a laptop for students, a cycle for students,
09:32 or OAP, old age pensions, I can give hundreds of things.
09:36 All of it is not for the rich.
09:38 Not for the rich, right?
09:40 It is for the poor state of people, right?
09:42 We don't talk communism, but we take a middle stance.
09:46 We make sure people are taken care of.
09:49 At the same time, we understand growth requires industries also to come up.
09:53 Only then these people will get jobs.
09:55 You cannot keep giving them just forever.
09:58 You need to teach them how to catch the fish.
09:59 You cannot be just giving them the fish.
10:01 So, that was ADMK's stand, Amma's stand, Adapariya's stand, our stand.
10:05 It's no more a communist belt, I would say.
10:08 My father in '91, he contested against Sengal Yappan.
10:12 He used to be a big union leader of communists.
10:16 So, my father won even in '91.
10:17 And after that, if you look at it, all the elections, we were winning in this 10 constituency
10:22 belt in Coimbatore.
10:24 And once communists, they were in alliance with us only during that time they won.
10:28 And you went to the IIM Ahmedabad and Annamalai also similar.
10:33 So, you left all of that, you know.
10:36 That's more like into market, making money, all of that.
10:40 How does that experience kind of translate into you being a politician?
10:43 I did not actually go to IIM Ahmedabad.
10:45 It's not like my, I have an uncle in Singapore or one more uncle in the US where they gave
10:50 me all the gyan and everything.
10:52 In my family, my father was a mill worker.
10:54 My mom did not complete her education.
10:56 And I am the first probably the graduate in my family.
11:00 And I completed a PhD tech and I was working.
11:03 And then I want to reach Amma and I want to get a bigger responsibility.
11:06 That boss, he was working in IIM Kohlikot.
11:08 He gave me the exposure.
11:09 He gave me the material to read.
11:11 So, my only way to get a bigger responsibility, I thought he said on a lighter note, you reach,
11:16 get a job, go to IIM, opt out of job and just give an interview saying you want to work
11:20 for Amma.
11:21 I strongly believed in that.
11:22 And then it took three years.
11:23 First year, I didn't crack.
11:24 Second year, I didn't crack.
11:25 Third year, I cracked.
11:25 God's grace, I got into IIM Ahmedabad.
11:27 I got a welcome letter from the student general secretary there.
11:29 I thought, okay, if I am going to be in real politics, I should be this also.
11:32 I learned Hindi.
11:33 I contested in election.
11:34 And then I opted out.
11:36 Nothing happened for a couple of months.
11:37 I was watching a movie in a theater.
11:38 Suddenly, my mom calls me and says, you've been appointed as IT secretary by Amma.
11:42 I said, it should be someone else.
11:43 My mom said, no, it is you.
11:44 And then I came out.
11:45 So, that's how.
11:46 So, IIM degree was a tool for me to get there.
11:49 Yeah, it is not that.
11:51 Yeah, because I feel this is a bigger opportunity than IIM degree.
11:54 I am not demeaning IIM degree.
11:55 For FMCG companies, if you need an IIM Ahmedabad graduate, for a constancy with six MLA constancies
12:01 and the big MP constancies, it's a complex algorithm.
12:03 IIM Ahmedabad is an under education is what I would say.
12:07 So, because of that only, I was able to reach her and I am here today.
12:11 Okay.
12:12 And the other thing which we, because it's a national kind of an election, you know,
12:16 there is this ideological factor.
12:18 If you look at many regional parties, they have kind of diluted the ideological base
12:22 itself, right?
12:23 Like I'm from Bihar and I don't know what JDU stands for.
12:26 We just did an issue actually looking at DMK, IDMK, all the parties, you know, and at which
12:30 point they have kind of stayed straight from their core ideological whatever.
12:34 Now, it's looking like as if the Hindutva ideology and the Dravidian thing and it's
12:40 a north and south thing also, you know, where the resistance comes from here.
12:44 So, how do you look at that and especially from Coimbatore which comes.
12:48 People of Tamil Nadu, they don't care about Modi.
12:53 They don't care about BJP because they know they've not been helpful for us.
12:59 We tried being in our lanes.
13:01 They did not.
13:01 They were not helpful.
13:02 That's why we came out during the flood situation.
13:05 They did not help us and they get a lot of GST money from us, but they don't allocate
13:09 the same proportion to us.
13:11 And so, look at even handloom, powerloom, Gujarat is coming up.
13:14 Why are we not able to come up?
13:17 The state government should also give allowance like Honorable Amma, she gave an allowance
13:21 long back when powerloom was going down in the 91, 90s, 60s.
13:26 He helped us, helped them with the power tariff and everything.
13:29 So, such things should be handled.
13:30 So, people are not much bothered about what is happening that they are more bothered about
13:36 here and also that makes sense, right?
13:38 Because people from UP, they come here and work.
13:40 Yeah.
13:41 They were in central government.
13:42 Modi's government was there.
13:44 State was ruled by BJP.
13:45 Then ideally, they should give the best possible growth.
13:48 Then why are people from UP coming here and working?
13:50 And why if you look at the data points, Tamil Nadu is way ahead of them.
13:55 What are they talking?
13:55 What is Annamalai talking about growth?
13:57 This is a joke that they are talking.
13:59 I think it's time for your question.
14:01 I have one last question.
14:02 Yeah.
14:03 This is about the optics of the fight and which my editor also pointed out to me.
14:06 He said you and Annamalai happen to be really young.
14:09 Yeah.
14:09 We are similar.
14:11 Not similar in ideology.
14:12 No, no, no.
14:12 No ideology or anything.
14:14 You are very, very graceful and well-mannered.
14:16 But in terms of how do you look at the optics of two young people battling it out?
14:20 And one party throwing the mic behind their candidate.
14:23 Yeah.
14:23 Both the parties.
14:24 See, to be frank, I think he is 38 years old.
14:28 I am 36 years old.
14:29 And my party is not according to them.
14:32 Modi is coming here.
14:34 Everybody is coming here.
14:35 Nirmala Sitharaman.
14:36 Because they have the fear that they will lose.
14:38 So, they are giving so much attention.
14:40 For my party, this is one or the other constituency.
14:43 For me, I am focusing on the constituency.
14:45 I don't care who is the opposition.
14:46 I focus on the process.
14:47 And there will be definitely good outcome.
14:49 Because I have been soaked in this ecosystem of electioneering from the age of 18.
14:53 Unlike Annamalai where he jumped from the top.
14:57 Suddenly he became something and he is doing whatever he is doing right now.
15:00 So, I think young and education doesn't mean that everybody will do good.
15:04 Yeah.
15:05 Education, just studying at IIM Ahmedabad or even my degree or IPS or IAS.
15:12 I have seen much better people with much better education or without education doing great
15:18 things in a much more calm, composed manner.
15:20 Not flaunting too much about themselves.
15:22 Just doing the work.
15:24 Maintaining that composure.
15:25 I always feel IIM Ahmedabad degree is just a piece of paper.
15:28 If I am not being educated and doing positive things to people, it doesn't matter, right?
15:33 How does it translate?
15:34 Harvard, Stanford, IIM, all these things doesn't matter.
15:36 Kamarajan was not educated.
15:38 MGR was not educated.
15:39 People did great things.
15:40 It is possible.
15:42 Education is just a tool.
15:43 It will kind of help you.
15:44 That's all.
15:45 Democracy, you don't have to be educated.
15:45 You cannot keep telling I am an IPS, I am educated.
15:48 I know everything.
15:48 I know policy.
15:49 You cannot question the journalist.
15:51 Do you know this policy?
15:52 Go read and come.
15:53 It is not the job of the journalist to read an economic policy.
15:55 It's not possible for every journalist to get that level of education in economics.
16:00 So, there are different kind of journalists.
16:02 You need to be inclusive and tell them, teach them, talk to them.
16:04 [inaudible]
16:12 One other question and you don't have to answer it now.
16:14 We will get back to it later.
16:16 [inaudible]
16:22 And they said, see, every ideology runs its course, right?
16:24 In a way that they were saying...
16:27 And Dravidian ideology and politics, which AIDMT and DMT both kind of like you take the
16:32 middle stance, but you know, they have become the victims of their own prosperity and there's
16:36 a new kind of politics that people are looking for.
16:39 I think about it and we'll come back to this later.
16:42 What changes?
16:43 See, you cannot give the...
16:44 Anna Malai is the same old wine in a new bottle.
16:48 There's nothing new about him.
16:50 He's talking, driving the same ideology, same thing, just in a different way.
16:56 That's all.
16:56 Thank you.
16:57 - Thank you.
16:58 [MUSIC PLAYING]