Chennai: Actor-politician Khushbu who recently joined the Congress after quitting DMK, today said she had joined the party because of her ‘sensibilities’ and her belief that only the Congress could bring about unity among various castes and creeds.
Stating that she would work at the grassroot level as a party functionary and not as an actress, she said her decision to join the Congress was “due to my sensibilities and my dream of a secular India.”
The actress noted that though she is Muslim, she had not changed her caste (after marriage).
On her maiden visit to Sathyamurthy Bhavan, the state congress headquarters, Khushbu was flanked by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President EVKS Elangovan.
Asked whether she was looking to rise through the ranks in the Congress, she said she was not hankering for any post and was there to work for the party. “Senior leaders and (AICC President) Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi know me well. They know what position will suit me”.
Mr Elangovan said the Congress would use Khushbu’s services across all states.
When it was pointed out that the Congress had garnered less than five per cent vote share in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the actress said winning and losing is common in politics. But that held true not only for the Congress, but for other parties too.
To a question, she declined to draw a parallel between the Congress and the DMK, saying getting into politics should be done wholeheartedly and not under “influence”.
“It should come whole heartedly. The Congress party is open. We are ready to welcome anyone. I have received such a warm welcome and anybody interested to join the party should do so of their own interest. People cannot be influenced to join a party. It has to come from within.”
On the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, she said,”More than one lakh people were rehabilitated (during the UPA-led Congress rule). There is a perception that the Congress is against Sri Lankan Tamils. No, it is wrong. We are against terrorism. We will fight against terrorism”, she said.
She joined the DMK in May, 2010 when it was the ruling party in Tamil Nadu.
She has acted in over 200 films, soap operas and hosted television shows in Tamil satellite channels.
