CHENNAI: A day after joining the BJP, actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar on Tuesday described the Congress as 'intellectually challenged' and said she would give a befitting reply to the charges made against her by Congress leaders. She was given a rousing reception by BJP functionaries and cadre at the Chennai airport.
Khushbu thanked BJP TN state president L Murugan for bringing her into the party fold. She repeated this at the airport and later when she was at the BJP state headquarters in Chennai.
Stating that Murugan was instrumental in her joining the BJP, Khushbu said, "Here is a leader who talks to the people, explains that the BJP alone can do good to the people and invites them to join the party. But there is another leader (KS Alagiri) who says people looked at her only as an actor even after she served that party (Congress) for six years. There is no respect for those in that party and there is no respect for those who are leaving that party. Besides, they do not ponder over why people are leaving their party.”
“For six years, I have given my time, energy, and hard work to the Congress party. But when I come out of that party, they criticise me. So, the Congress acted like an intellectually challenged party. When I came out of the DMK, I did not make any charges. But I will give befitting responses to the allegations levelled by the Congress,” she said.
Addressing a press meet at the BJP headquarters here, when asked about the comment that people saw her as an actor and not a leader, she said, “This type of allegation shows how mean they are. Until EVKS Elangovan was the TNCC president, I was taking part in all party events because he has never shown ego in his activities.”
"When I was touring the length and breadth of the country for the Congress party, didn't they see me as an actor? Whenever they want a crowd for a meeting, they used to invite me. Didn't they know I am an actor then? It shows their male chauvinism. For them, a woman should not progress in life through her skills. Even if she grows up, she should behave like a fool. After all, by profession, I am an actor. But you (KS Alagiri) are acting as a leader. Is that fair?”
She also rubbished the charge that she has joined the BJP due to the pressure from her husband C Sundar. She asked: "I have been in politics for the past 10 years. Have you ever seen my husband with me in political events?”
She reiterated that she criticised BJP leaders and the party in the past as she was a functionary of an opposition party and the duty of the opposition is to oppose the ruling party.
Asked whether she would be contesting the elections, Khushbu said there were many seniors in the party and they had to contest the elections. "But I leave this decision to the party leaders." She
stoutly denied the allegation that she joined the BJP with the expectation of any position.
When a scribe recalled that she shifted her loyalties from the DMK to Congress to BJP and asked whether she would be with the BJP forever, Khushbu said, "I will remain with the BJP and will not move from here."
But the actor faced criticism from an unexpected source after joining the BJP on Tuesday. A disability rights group, December 3 Movement, took exception to her description of the Congress as an intellectually disabled party.
Prof Deepaknathan of the group said, "The disability sector strongly condemns Khushbu for denigrating psychosocial disabilities while criticising the Congress party. Equating Congress to an 'underdeveloped brain' is denigrating disability. Disability is part of the biodiversity of nature, why do you compare them? Are we not equals?”