DMK IT wing chief and Industries Minister TRB Rajaa rejects actor C Joseph Vijay’s political entry. In an interview with The Hindu, he shared his thoughts on the assembly elections, his performance and more. Edited excerpts:
Your party is already talking about a Dravidian Model 2.0 government. Would this election be an easy fight?
The opposition is fragmented and we have done a fantastic job. Our Chief Minister (MK Stalin) gave the best of governance. Every segment of society – from seniors to young people, women and transgender people – has each seen growth over the past five years.
What do you think about actor C. Joseph Vijay’s entry into politics – a large number of youngsters seem to be supporting his TVK party?
You see, Tamil Nadu is a market where FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) companies often test their products before launching them in India. I think Delhi (BJP) is trying to put a new ‘product’ (Mr Vijay) on the shelf – but people have seen through it. And I don’t think there are any bulk takers for the product. Of course, there may be newcomers who like new products, but not the masses. Tamil Nadu is an ideology driven state. Even in my village, every house has an ideological drive and adheres to it. The DMK told the people what we were, what we stood for, what we believed in – especially we stand against Delhi. Tamil Nadu will never be under the control of Delhi.
You hit a hat-trick in Mannargudi – winning three elections (2011, 2016 and 2021) since 2011. What has really worked for you?
It was the DMK that won three times. I was a rookie in 2011, so what worked then was ideology. In Mannargudi, the DMK ideology won. It is only when people understand what the party stands for that such a drastic shift can be seen compared to the rest of the state. Later, I was able to do it through hard work and daily involvement in the staff. As Arignar Anna (former Chief Minister CN Annadurai) said, “Go to the people, live among them, learn from them and then do what is right.” That’s what we stuck to. 2016 was yet another big repeat. They (the people) know the work we did during the Covid pandemic and Cyclone Gaja. A 40-year-old dream of an underground drainage system has come true – around ₹200 crore worth of development work is underway at Mannargudi. We used IIT-Madras. At least 30% of the work is complete and the roads are being re-laid. We also created a new bus stop in the city itself. Everyone knows about the Needamangalam railway flyover – several people lost their lives while waiting at the level crossing. The state part of the project has been completed and the railway side is now pending. We have laid roads across rural areas to provide connectivity to all villages. We have spent ₹16 crore on the renovation and beautification of the Rajagopalaswamy temple.
What have you done for the constituency – in the field of education, sports, tourism and provision of basic civic amenities for the common man?
In the field of education, there has long been a demand for a college for women – we have fulfilled it and the first academic year has already begun. Next year we will build a separate building for the college. A large indoor sports stadium is now coming up in Mannargudi and we are also working on several infrastructure projects related to sports. Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary has been designated as a Ramsar site and we are taking steps to promote bird watching.
We have also communicated with people in your constituency to understand their concerns. One thing they pointed out was that “Industrial opportunities are limited” and as Industries Minister, Mannargudi did not take up enough projects. Why didn’t Mannargudi see more investment?
I don’t think my people would say that. It is primarily an agricultural zone. Tamil Nadu’s first SIPCOT textile park is now coming up at Mannargudi. It will provide around 2,000 jobs, mainly for women. This project also faced opposition from several politically motivated individuals. Chennai Silks is setting up a major unit there with an investment of about ₹50 crore. The clothes produced here will be exported to H&M. Some people are also spreading misinformation that these projects will cause pollution. It’s just tailor shops — which tailor shop is causing the pollution?
Mannargudi is famous for agriculture – the farmers here have some worries every year. They are protesting against the purchase of paddy fields. What steps have you taken to resolve these issues? And increase farmers’ incomes?
There has been no shortage of water in the last five years. Mannargudi had never seen this level of targeted planning for farmers’ welfare until we took over. I’ll tell you why. We now have the highest number of DPCs (Direct Procurement Centres) in Tamil Nadu. I was part of the State Planning Commission for the first two years, which gave me the leverage to push for the necessary paddy storage infrastructure. I was the first to test the new dryer and also implemented drone spraying in Mannargudi. All these interventions are aimed at helping farmers protect their crops and add value. We have taken steps to ensure proper storage of rice, with capacity now increased to nearly 100,000 tonnes. Last year we had a high level crop – there was an abundance problem.
Regional investor meetings held in Tamil Nadu have been criticized, with the opposition claiming they attracted smaller, lesser-known firms rather than large investments. how do you answer that?
Hyundai’s investment also came as part of a regional investor summit. What is their problem if our own MSMEs are growing? They say I shouldn’t introduce the hotel industry – but the food industry is one of the best service industries for job creation. For us, the focus is employment. They ask why we signed an MoU with Junior Kuppanna. Why shouldn’t we sign with them? If McDonald’s does this, they’ll stay quiet – if I sign with them, they’re fine. How are our brands doing less? They are setting up central kitchens and investing ₹200-300 crore. I can’t just provide top jobs; I also have to take into account unskilled and semi-skilled workers. Where we fail to get manufacturing jobs, we focus on services. It is for this reason that we organized the tourism conclave – to give a strong impetus to the hotel industry. We need to support domestic businesses.
Cost of industrial land is increasing day by day — How do you justify rising land prices when states like Gujarat and Telangana offer cheaper alternatives?
That is why we have SIPCOT (State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu). And we ensure that land concessions are offered to industries. This means we shouldn’t worry too much about land prices, as we make up for it with talent and ease of doing business – which is the most important factor. No other state in India can match the ecosystem that Tamil Nadu has built. The extensive product and supply chain localization that has already taken place – and is happening and will happen in the future – will always offset higher land costs. Going forward, we have identified land requirements through SIPCOT and are also moving towards vertical development in a big way. After 2021, we have made massive investments in southern districts including Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari. Madurai is booming and Tiruchi has so many SIPCOTs that have opened. See the distributed growth we enable. The aim is to ensure that rising land prices in Chennai do not become a problem. By opening up more areas and destinations for investment, land prices will not be an issue.
