Delhi trying to place a new ‘product’ on the shelf: T.R.B. Rajaa on Vijay

Your enactment is already talking astir a Dravidian Model 2.0 government. Would this predetermination beryllium an casual fight?

The Opposition is splintered, and we person done a fantastic job. Our Chief Minister (M.K. Stalin) has fixed the champion of governance. Every conception of nine — from the aged to youngsters, women, and transgender persons — everyone has seen maturation implicit the past 5 years.

What bash you deliberation of histrion C. Joseph Vijay’s introduction into authorities – a ample fig of younker look to beryllium supporting his party, TVK?

You see, Tamil Nadu is simply a marketplace wherever FMCG [Fast-Moving Consumer Goods] companies often trial their products earlier introducing them crossed India. I deliberation Delhi [the BJP] is trying to spot a caller “product” [Mr. Vijay] connected the support — but radical person seen done it. And I don’t deliberation determination are immoderate takers for the merchandise successful a large way. Of course, determination whitethorn beryllium newbies who are fond of caller products, but not the masses. Tamil Nadu is an ideology-driven State. Even successful my village, each location has an ideological thrust and they instrumentality to it. The DMK has told radical what we are, what we person stood for, what we judge – particularly lasting against Delhi. Tamil Nadu volition ne'er ever beryllium nether the power of Delhi.

You person deed a hat-trick astatine Mannargudi – winning 3 elections since 2011 (2011, 2016, and 2021). What truly worked for you?

It is the DMK that has won 3 times. In 2011, I was a newbie, truthful what worked past was the ideology. It was the DMK’s ideology that won successful Mannargudi. Only erstwhile radical recognize what a enactment stands for tin specified a drastic displacement beryllium seen compared to the remainder of the State. Later, I proved done hard enactment and by engaging with the cadre connected a regular basis. As Arignar Anna (former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai) said, “Go to the people, unrecorded among them, larn from them, and past bash what is right.” We stuck to that. 2016 was different large replay again. They (people) cognize the enactment we did during the Covid pandemic and Cyclone Gaja. A forty-year imagination of having an underground drainage strategy came existent – astir ₹200 crore-worth improvement enactment is happening successful Mannargudi. We person utilized IIT-Madras. At slightest 30% of the enactment has been completed and the roads person been re-laid. We person besides created a caller autobus basal wrong the municipality itself. Everyone is alert of the Needamangalam railway overbridge — respective radical person mislaid their lives portion waiting astatine that railway crossing. The State’s portion of the task has been completed, and the Railway broadside is present pending. We person laid roads crossed agrarian areas, ensuring connectivity to each villages. We person spent ₹16 crore connected the renovation and beautification of the Rajagopalaswamy Temple.

What person you done for the constituency – successful presumption of education, sports, tourism and providing basal amenities to the communal man?

On the acquisition front, determination had agelong been a petition for a women’s assemblage — we person got it done, and the archetypal world twelvemonth has already started. Next year, we volition conception a abstracted gathering for the college. A ample indoor sports stadium is present coming up successful Mannargudi, and we are besides moving connected respective infrastructure projects related to sports. The Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary has been designated arsenic a Ramsar site, and we are taking steps to beforehand birdwatching.

We besides interacted with radical successful your constituency to recognize their concerns. One happening they pointed retired was that the “industrial opportunities are limited” and being the Industries Minister, you person not taken capable projects to Mannargudi. Why hasn’t Mannargudi seen much investments?

I don’t deliberation my radical would person said that. First of all, this is an cultivation zone. The archetypal SIPCOT textile parkland successful Tamil Nadu is present coming up successful Mannargudi. It volition supply astir 2,000 jobs, particularly for women. Even this task faced absorption from a fewer politically motivated individuals. The Chennai Silks is mounting up a large portion there, with an concern of astir ₹50 crore. Garments produced present volition beryllium exported to H&M. Some radical are besides spreading misinformation that these projects volition origin pollution. These are conscionable tailoring units — which tailoring store causes pollution?

Mannargudi is known for agriculture — farmers present person immoderate concerns each year. They protestation regarding paddy procurement. What steps person you taken to code these issues? And fortify farmers income?

There has been nary h2o shortage successful the past 5 years. Mannargudi has ne'er seen this level of focused readying erstwhile it comes to farmers’ payment until we took over. I’ll archer you why. We present person the highest fig of DPCs (Direct Procurement Centres) successful Tamil Nadu. I was portion of the State Planning Commission for the archetypal 2 years, which gave maine the leverage to propulsion for the indispensable infrastructure for paddy storage. I was the archetypal to trial a caller dryer, and besides instrumentality drone spraying successful Mannargudi. All these interventions are aimed astatine helping farmers support their crops and adhd value. We person taken steps to guarantee due retention of paddy, with the capableness present accrued to astir 100,000 tonnes. Last year, we had a bumper harvest — determination was a occupation of plenty.

There has been disapproval implicit the Regional Investors Meets held crossed Tamil Nadu, with the Opposition claiming they attracted mostly smaller, lesser-known firms alternatively than large investments. How bash you respond to this?

Even the Hyundai concern came during the Regional Investors’ Summit. What is their occupation if our ain MSMEs grow? They accidental I shouldn’t bring successful the edifice manufacture — but the nutrient manufacture is 1 of the champion work industries for generating jobs. For us, the absorption is connected employment. They question wherefore we signed an MoU with Junior Kuppanna. Why shouldn’t we motion with them? If McDonald’s does it, they stay quiescent — if I motion with them they are fine. How are our brands immoderate lesser? They are mounting up cardinal kitchens and investing ₹200–₹300 crore. I cannot supply lone high-end jobs; I indispensable besides see unskilled and semi-skilled workers. In places wherever we are incapable to pull manufacturing jobs, we absorption connected services. We organised a tourism conclave precisely for this crushed — to springiness a beardown propulsion to the edifice industry. We person to enactment homegrown businesses.

Industrial onshore costs is expanding time by time — How bash you warrant rising onshore prices erstwhile States similar Gujarat and Telangana are offering cheaper alternatives?

That is wherefore we person SIPCOTs (State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu). And we guarantee that industries are offered discounts connected land. That said we should not beryllium overly acrophobic astir onshore prices, due to the fact that we compensate with endowment and easiness of doing concern — which is the astir captious factor. No different State successful India tin lucifer the ecosystem that Tamil Nadu has built. The extended localisation of products and the proviso concatenation that has already happened — and is happening and volition hap successful aboriginal — volition ever offset higher onshore costs. Going forward, we person identified onshore requirements done SIPCOT, and we are besides moving towards vertical improvement successful a large way. After 2021, we person taken monolithic investments to the confederate districts, including Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Kanniyakumari. Madurai is booming, and Tiruchi has truthful galore SIPCOTs that person opened up. Look astatine the distributed maturation we are enabling. The thought is to guarantee that rising onshore prices successful Chennai bash not go a problem. By opening up much areas and destinations for investment, onshore prices are not going to beryllium a problem.