Actor Khushboo Sundar, who made a surprise entry into the Congress on Wednesday, said her priority would be to clear the misunderstanding about the party’s role in the Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue.
Speaking to The Hindu on the phone from New Delhi after she joined the grand old party in the presence of party president Sonia Gandhi, Ms. Khushboo said choosing the Congress was not a sudden decision. “The talks have been on for a long time. It was a baseless rumour that I wanted to join the BJP. I think the Congress, with its focus on inclusiveness, is the right party to lead the country,” she said.
After her successful stint in Tamil cinema in which she achieved fame on a par with that of male superstars, Ms. Khushboo’s first brush with politics came after an interview she gave a Tamil weekly in 2005.
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Protests erupted over her seemingly controversial remarks on pre-marital sex, with parties such as the VCK and the PMK and other Tamil nationalists groups calling it an “affront to culture.” But she was also applauded for the courage she showed in sticking to her views. The Supreme Court later quashed all the cases against her.
In 2010, she joined the DMK — when being seen as moving towards the AIADMK as an anchor of a popular show on Jaya TV — and became a star campaigner in the 2011 Assembly polls . She was considered a staunch loyalist of party president M. Karunanidhi when the control of treasurer M.K. Stalin over the party was growing. Even after joining the Congress , she said she continued to have high respect for Mr. Karunanidhi.
However, DMK circles were rife with speculation when she quit in June that her equation with Mr. Karunanidhi’s family members was strained. “She felt she was not being recognised for reasons other than merit,” a senior DMK leader said.
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Asked about her new role in the Congress, Ms. Khushboo said it was for the leadership to allot positions. But she would certainly work for the party across the country and not just Tamil Nadu.
While she was in the DMK, she was critical of the Congress stand on the Sri Lankan issue. The actor-turned-politician said: “Going to the other side” had given her a wider perspective. “The Congress has done so much for the Tamils. But it has to be communicated,” she said.
Congress spokesperson A. Gopanna said the actor’s entry into the party just two days before the former Union Minister, G.K. Vasan, launched a new party was significant. “She is a well-read, strong orator. Her liberal views on issues relating to women are well known. The party will benefit by her entry,” he said. It remains to be seen how Kushboo will emerge from being a crowd-puller to a vote-catcher for the Congress, said another party leader.