In Khushbu’s return to active politics, TN BJP gets another crowd-puller, but ‘outsider’ image hangs heavy

Known for controversial statements & being a crowd-puller, the actor-politician, who had resigned as NCW chief, returns at a time when BJP state chief Annamalai is going on study leave.

File photo of BJP leader Khushbu Sundar at a press conference, at party headquarters in Chennai | ANI

Chennai: A day after quitting as a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW), actor-politician Khushbu Sundar attended the Independence Day celebrations at the BJP headquarters in Chennai where she spoke at length that there was no controversy or pressure behind her decision and that she genuinely wanted to focus more on politics.

The timing couldn’t be more opportune. BJP state president Annamalai, by and large the only prominent voice attacking the DMK government and spreading Modi’s word in Tamil Nadu, is going on a three-month fellowship. Her reentry into state politics also sparked speculations about whether she would replace Annamalai during his absence.  

An actor-politician, who forayed into politics in 2010, Khushbu joined the BJP in 2020 after stints in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Congress. Known for her vocal and bold statements, the actor’s crowd-puller image, political analysts say, will help the BJP to raise the party’s voice, especially during the absence of Annamalai whether or not she is formally given a position. 

But, they assert, the BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu still consider her an outsider.

“Appointed or not appointed (as the BJP chief), she will oppose the DMK. She will raise her voice, just like Annamalai. She might be even more vocal than Annamalai as far as her public outburst against the DMK is concerned. But whether it will have an impact in Tamil Nadu is different,” says Chinnappan, a media analyst and former head of the visual communication department of Chennai’s Loyola College. 

He says Khushbu doesn’t have credibility among the BJP cadres and people of Tamil Nadu due to her shifting political allegiance.

Incidentally, the BJP state unit, already marred by factionalism, is seemingly neutral about the prospect of Khushbu’s return to its fold. 

“Within Tamil Nadu leadership, she is not much accepted. There is already competition among different groups,” Chinnappan says, adding that the party leaders and cadres are not responding to Khushbu’s return as they are unclear about the party’s leadership during Annamalai’s absence.

A BJP national executive member, Khushbu was nominated as a member of the NCW in February 2023 for three years. Announcing her resignation on social media platform ‘X’ on Wednesday night, the actor-turned-politician said she is quitting her post to “fully embrace” the passion to serve the BJP. 

After 14 dedicated years in politics, today marks a heartfelt transition. I’ve resigned from @NCWIndia to fully embrace my passion for serving our great party, the BJP. Immense gratitude to the PM @narendramodi ji, HM @AmitShah ji, BJP national president @JPNadda Ji, and…

— KhushbuSundar (@khushsundar) August 14, 2024

During a conversation with ThePrint on Friday, Khushbu said she comes with zero expectations from the party. She said the decision to quit was taken almost six to eight months ago, but the party’s central leadership asked her to wait.

“Had I quit just before or after the election, people would have said I was retaliating as I was not given a seat. I didn’t want a controversy coming up because this decision was taken almost six to eight months back,” she told ThePrint Friday.

In April, she had pulled out of the Lok Sabha poll campaign citing health concerns. At that time, she said a persistent injury required immediate attention.

Khushbu told ThePrint that the BJP is not deciding on the party leadership during the absence of Annamalai at present and it is wrong to conclude that she would take over.

“In this digital world, we can definitely run a party. In Tamil Nadu, we are not doing anything immediately now. With Annamalai offering to finish his scholarship, I am sure he will be able to work. So, it would be absolutely wrong for people to come to a conclusion that since Annamalai is leaving and the post is open, I could be taking over,” she said.

Political life: From DMK to BJP

A popular actor in the south, Khusbhu forayed into politics in 2010 with the ruling DMK. However, she quit the Dravidian party and joined the Congress in November 2014.  A national spokesperson for the party, Khushbu’s stint in the Congress didn’t last long either, as she quit in 2020 alleging that she was “suppressed” there.

Hours after quitting the Congress, she joined the BJP which fielded her in the 2021 Assembly polls, but she lost by a margin of 32,000 votes. She was nominated to the NCW in 2023.

With her reentry into active politics two years before the Assembly polls, political analysts think that the BJP, which doesn’t have a mass leader yet in the state, can use her crowd-puller capabilities in its favour even though she may face factionalism due to her past associations with the DMK and the Congress.

“She is a good crowd puller, whether with the BJP or Congress. When she contested in 2021, she was a crowd-puller. But she couldn’t convert it into votes,” political analyst N. Sathiya Moorthy says. 

He adds that Khushbu, who doesn’t have much reach and acceptance in the party and in the state, may have resigned two years before the next polls, as she needs to prepare the ground before plunging into active politics.

Tamil-Nadu-based political analyst A. Ramsamy feels Khushbu can express the party’s stands and counter the ruling DMK with clarity. But, he adds, she may not be given a chance to run the party when Annamalai travels to the UK. 

Annamalai was selected for the three-month-long UK Foreign Office’s Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence programme in July. The programme begins in mid-September and will conclude in November.

“We don’t know if they are going to give her the post, considering that she didn’t start her political journey with the BJP and the caste dynamics in the party,” Ramasamy says.

The Tamil Nadu BJP unit’s factionalism came to the fore following the Lok Sabha polls, in which the party drew a blank in the state. In an interview, Tamilisai Soundararajan said the BJP might have performed if it was in an alliance with the AIADMK, a position different from Annamalai. 

Soon after this, a video clip of a conversation between Tamilisai and Union Home Minister Amit Shah surfaced, leading to barbs between the supporters of Annamalai and the former Telangana governor. Annamalai belongs to the Gounder caste; Tamilisai is from the Nadaar community, which is predominant in southern Tamil Nadu.

With Khusbu’s return to full-time politics and the sudden decision, some of the political commentators say she is unlikely to be a power centre because BJP workers still see her as an outsider.

“She is an outsider to the party. She has travelled through the DMK and the Congress before joining the BJP,” Sathiya Moorthy says.

However, the state BJP unit said this will never be a factor deciding her progress in the party.

“BJP has welcomed leaders from various parties. At least 18 former MLAs joined the party before the Lok Sabha elections. So it doesn’t matter,” Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) state president Vinoj P. Selvam said.

BJP state vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy noted that Khushbu is “a great intelligent woman” who has contributed to the politics and that the party would benefit from her return to active politics.

“We are happy that Khushbu is back in day-to-day politics. As far as her resignation in NCW is concerned, it’s her decision,” he said. 

‘NCW tenure was fantastic’

Born to Muslim parents in Mumbai, Khushbu’s forayed into films in Bollywood as a child artiste. She started doing South Indian movies in the late 80s, shifted to Chennai and appeared in Tamil hits such as ‘Vettri Vizhaa’ (1989) and ‘Pandithurai’ (1992). 

Her fans built her a temple built in her name in Trichy, but it was reportedly demolished following an uproar over her controversial remarks on pre-marital sex in 2005. 

Her observation that society should shed the idea that all brides should be virgins resulted in 22 criminal cases against her in Tamil Nadu and outside. The Supreme Court quashed all these cases in April 2010.

The next month that year, the actress joined the DMK in the presence of then chief minister K. Karunanidhi. “She was close to Karunanidhi,” says Ramasamy. He adds that the DMK needed a multi-faceted leader like her. 

But her journey with the DMK didn’t last as she was “sidelined” by party leaders including the current CM M.K.Stalin, says one of the analysts. 

“I was always fascinated by the way Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) worked. I thought he was a people’s leader. He was easily approachable,” Khushbu told ThePrint.

Ramasamy says Khushbu may have chosen to quit the NCW post as she was voiceless there. “Khushbu didn’t have much of a role there. She didn’t say anything about the Manipur issue. She was voiceless.  I think she might have chosen to resign a job that she didn’t have much to do,” he opines.

Talking about her tenure at NCW, Khushbu said she wanted to speak for the party, which was not possible being a prestigious post at NCW.

“It was fantastic. It was basically a desk job. Also requires a lot of commitment. it required for me to be in Delhi all the time,” Khushbu said, adding that the right thing for her to do was to quit the post.

The 53-year-old actor-politician said the party is working for the 2026 Assembly polls and was hopeful that it would be able to make significant progress.

“We have been doing what the best we could do. Serving the people. Taking the fantastic policies implemented by the PM to the people. We have to wait,. 2026, we are working on it. We already have 4 assembly MLAs here. And I am sure, we are going to make a huge mark this time,” she said.

(Edited by Tony Rai)