Chennai: Vidhya Rani, the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri Lok Sabha constituency, draws inspiration from her late father. She is the daughter of the dreaded brigand and poacher Veerappan, who kept law enforcement in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on their toes for decades and was wanted for killing more than 100 people until he was shot dead by the Special Task Force of the Tamil Nadu Police in 2004.
“I take my father as a very big inspiration because all my life, people around me kept telling me what he had done,” she told ThePrint in an exclusive telephone interview Wednesday.
A Tamil nationalist party launched in 2010 in reaction to the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009), the NTK is yet to win a single seat in any state or Lok Sabha elections. The party, which made its debut in the 2016 assembly elections, secured a 1.06 percent vote share that year, which increased to 6.89 percent in 2021.
Vidhya said the ZEE5 docu-series Koose Munisamy Veerappan was also an inspiration for her to join the party as it reminded her of what her father aspired to do.
The 2003 series directed by Jeyachandra Hashmi, Prabbhavathi and Vasanth Balakrishnan delves into the life of Veerappan using real footage and interviews with many people, including journalists such as Nakkeeran Gopal, who interviewed Veerappan, N. Ram, director of The Hindu Group, and actor and social worker Rohini, among others. The series also features NTK chief Seeman.
“After watching it, I was constantly thinking of all the things my father said in the video. What he said was similar to what Seeman uncle says. I felt like I wanted to take all the good thoughts of my father, which are similar to mine. So, I felt this is the right direction,” she said.
Raised in Nerupur village in Dharmapuri district, Vidhya lived with her maternal grandmother till age seven. With her mother, Muthulakshmi, in jail — she was eventually acquitted in most of the cases against her — and her father in the forest, she said she was raised by the public. “I was a child of the whole village. Wherever I went, everyone took care of me. Now, I want to give back.”
She added: “When I go out for campaigns, people don’t identify me (as Veerappan’s daughter). After they hear me, their response is overwhelmingly positive, some even have tears of happiness. That is what I see.”
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From BJP to NTK, her political journey
A law graduate, Vidhya entered politics in 2020 when she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to her, the decision was taken after the BJP’s then Kanyakumari MP, Pon Radhakrishnan, got in touch with her through a local party leader in 2019.
“For me, since the beginning, I wanted to do something for the people of Tamil Nadu. When I joined the party (BJP), I thought I would be given that opportunity. I was even working towards it,” she said.
Saying that she learnt the ground reality during her stint with the BJP, Vidhya said, “When I joined the BJP, I was new to politics. They called me, and I also wanted to study politics. I had huge respect for Modiji (PM Narendra Modi). I was doing my responsibilities very well. It was a choice, and I took it.”
However, she was inactive in the BJP in 2023, busy running a preschool of 60 children in Krishnagiri, something she has been doing for the past three years.
Later, NTK leader Seeman approached her. “When the MP (Lok Sabha) elections came, he (Seeman) wanted to announce my name, and I was given a seat. This is the first step towards my goal,” she told ThePrint.
According to Vidhya, her decision to switch to the NTK was driven by her desire to serve her state.
“A national party has a responsibility to each state. For example, if you take the Cauvery issue, the Karnataka government is not willing to give water. But here (Tamil Nadu), people need water. So, when it comes to the central government, they have to take a common look at the states. They can’t favour one,” she said.
She went on to add that in Tamil Nadu, “we will have to struggle for every right from the central government”.
‘Feel emotional connection with people’
Growing up as the daughter of Veerappan was adventurous and meaningful at the same time, she said. “It had its own difficulties. But I learnt from it and have grown. That is how I gained maturity and have built my character, moulded by the difficulties I faced.”
Sharing an anecdote from her childhood in Nerupur, the NTK candidate said she grew up hearing stories about her father from villagers. Recalling one such story, she said, “In a forest, an elderly couple was gathering firewood when they encountered my father…. The couple shared a single dhoti between them; the man wore it around his waist and draped a torn piece over his shoulder, while the woman wore the other half. Upon seeing my father, they ceased their work, and the man quickly used his shoulder cloth to modestly cover the woman…”
“…Touched by their situation, my father, despite having limited funds of Rs 500 for his entire team of 25, generously offered the money to the man, urging him to purchase a saree and a dhoti for themselves,” she told ThePrint.
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Poll promises: Availability of water, employment
According to Vidhya, her poll promises will include creating employment opportunities for educated youth and ensuring water for local farmers.
The Krishnagiri constituency, which has a sitting Congress MP, A. Chellakumar, has voted for the party nine times since the 1950-51 general elections, followed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) (five times) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) (thrice).
This year, Vidhya is contesting against former Congress MLA K. Gopinath, the AIADMK’s V. Jayaprakash and the BJP’s C. Narasimhan.
“Water doesn’t reach all the villages around here. I am thinking of going and checking and recovering all the water bodies that are not in use,” she said, adding that she would ensure the timely completion of water connectivity projects.
Another item on her agenda is helping educated young people get loans to start small-scale businesses, she said, adding that she would also help uplift the lives of local residents living near the forest area by ensuring quality education, transportation and medical service.
“I am 200 percent confident that the public is positive and wants to support me,” said Vidhya. According to her, she was chosen for the seat due to her familiarity with the local residents and party workers in the district.
“People are becoming aware of the NTK’s goal of development in the state. The government should be able to give quality service to people and not just freebies. The NTK will be able to do that,” she asserted.
“The state was in the hands of Dravidian parties for 70 years. I only expect one thing. My father stated in the series that once he came out, he would join politics and provide freedom — freedom from unemployment, from everyday issues, not having medical services, not having quality education. He wanted people to be really happy and content,” she said.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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