Former Union Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, who has served as a member of the Rajya Sabha for over two decades, is writing a book on Indian politics with special focus on Tamil Nadu.
Ms. Natarajan, a keen observer of Parliamentary affairs, has quietly watched the indifference of politicians from North India to debates over issues concerning Tamil Nadu.
“Even when very vital issues such as the Cauvery water dispute are debated, it was viewed as a tug of war between the two Dravidian parties (the DMK and the AIADMK) and I had seen MPs leaving the House as if it did not concern them,” she told The Hindu on Sunday.
Asked whether her book would also mirror her difference of opinion with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and the issues that led to her resignation from the party over two years ago, she said it may be mentioned as part of her tenure in the UPA ministry.
Ms. Natarajan, who held the portfolio of Environment in the Congress-led UPA Government, said the book did not contain gossip; nor did it intend to whip up sensationalism. “I had the privilege of watching Indian politics from close quarters since my childhood. I want to share it with the nation, more so because I feel that in many ways the narratives on our democracy do not adequately reflect the true contribution of Tamil Nadu,” the former Minister said.
“Even the far-reaching judgments by the Supreme Court that deal with reservation in education arose out of Tamil Nadu. But the State’s achievements are always underplayed,” Ms. Natarajan, scion of a family of eminent freedom fighters and politicians said.
Her maternal grandfather M. Bhaktavatasalam was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and paternal grandfather V.K. Ramasamy Mudaliar was the Leader of the Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly between 1957 and 1962.
Ms. Natarajan said long before the Mandal issue rocked the nation, Tamil Nadu had empowered the backward classes and the students from these communities were able to compete with the privileged sections of society.
Industries in the State are evenly spread. Whether it is Dindigul or Tirupur or Namakkal or Coimbatore, each one has emerged as a hub for a particular industry. The State also contributed immensely to the software industry. “Not many people know Salem has secured a place in the aeronautical engineering sector. But Tamil Nadu’s industrialists, unlike their counterparts in other parts of India, keep a low profile and their simplicity is often taken for weakness,” the former Congress leader lamented.
She has already completed a substantial portion of her writings and the book is likely to hit the shelves before the end of this year. David Davidar’s Aleph Book Company is publishing the book, which is also expected to lay before the nation Tamil Nadu’s pioneering and pivotal role in the freedom movement, social justice, implementation of the noon meal scheme and the strides made by it in every field. The title of the book has not yet been finalised.
The former Union Environment Minister feels T.N.’s contributions to the nation have often gone unnoticed
