Actor Urmila Matondkar, who is contesting the polls on April 29 as a Congress candidate from Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency, a BJP stronghold, says she has faced a lot of trolling on social media and personal attacks after her entry into politics, but asserted that she is here to stay.
Ms. Matondkar, who is pitted against the BJP’s sitting MP Gopal Shetty, said the general elections would decide the direction in which the country would go and if democracy would be saved. She said, “I have never left anything incomplete... be it studies or my career. The decision to join politics was well thought out and I will give more than my 100% to it. My intentions are clear.” Ms. Matondkar said women should understand that nerves of steel are required to be in politics. She said, “I understand criticism, but have faced negativity, dirt and filth. I have not played the victim card in all these days. I am here to stay.”
Referring to a scuffle that broke out between Congress and BJP workers during her rally in Borivali recently, she said that she believes in freedom of expression and has nothing against people chanting anybody’s name. She said, “The scene that unfolded was unacceptable and appalling. This is politics of hatred and negativity. Violence is not always physical but also at a mental level... After joining politics I have faced tremendous trolling and personal attacks.”
‘Hostile media’
Ms. Matondkar said when she returned to Mumbai after formally joining the Congress in Delhi, she was surprised to find a hostile media. She said, “I was taken aback by the kind of questions I was asked. After a long career of 27 years and making a name for myself as a film star, I had never faced such negativity.”
She said her decision to join a party that is out of power showed her integrity and she sought a political role to fight hatred and negativity. “Today, society is driven by fear. The film industry is very vulnerable. After a huge career and making a name, when people voice opinions about their children’s well-being, they are asked to go to another country. I fail to understand when we stooped so low.”
Ms. Matondkar said that her focus is on her constituency’s development and providing housing, water and electricity for the poor. She said she had no intentions to contest the polls but was convinced by the Congress to jump into the fray. She said her “empathy” for the people of her constituency helped her connect with them and claimed that voters open up to her over the prevailing issues and what they expect from their representative. “I have been a phenomenally good student and always aware of the socio-political, economic scenario, and the history and culture of our country. The connectivity comes out of deep respect for people in front of me.” Ms. Matondkar said, “I am going to them [voters], asking them to make me their representative. Mr. Shetty says he has lived in the slums for 55 years. I haven’t. They have tried to project me as if I have come from Mars.”
On the Congress’s NYAY scheme, Ms. Matondkar said it is not just about giving money to the poor, but mobilising the economy. “It is deliverable and practical,” she said. The Congress has promised to give ₹72,000 per year as minimum income to the poorest 20% families in the country if it is voted to power.
