Iron Lady: Mandya MP recalls her struggle against all odds

The people of Mandya proudly say that winning Mandya is like winning India. Known as the sugar bowl of South Karnataka, the people of the district are known for their love and affection. Once they get close to a person,they will continue to love him forever. This came as a blessing for Sumalatha Ambareesh, wife of noted actor cum politician late M.H.Ambareesh when she contested and won the Mandya Lok Sabha seat as an independent candidate. By doing this, she set a record of the first independent candidate to win from this politically high-voltage constituency. In a free wheeling chat with SHYAM SUNDAR VATTAM, she spoke at length about her work, challenges and plans for the development of this beautiful district.

NT: How has been your journey as MP of a politically high voltage constituency called Mandya?

Sumalatha Ambareesh: Yes it has been a high voltage election and an extremely challenging position for me because I’m extremely new to not only politics but also you know these kind of constitutional posts. So yes it is a learning curve. I’ve learned a lot. I have fought a lot. I have been working hard and I’m trying to learn each and every day and it’s satisfying at one level also because you try and make a change in so many people’s lives. You are trying to connect with so many people and when you succeed in some cases then you feel extremely satisfied. it’s like when I was in films and you work very hard and then when ultimately the movie clicks, then you feel that satisfaction or if you have a very challenging role and then you’ve done it to the best of your ability,that’s the time you get job satisfaction.Yes, it has been challenging; it is still challenging because I think my election and my situation itself was very different and unique from anybody else. Yeah I was an independent without any party symbol and I had to fight extremely tough opposition and all those who were playing all kinds of dirty games.It continues, its not like it stopped at the election in my constituency, I still have 6 out of seven MLAs from the opposition party who tried to you know, put roadblocks in everything I do, every work I tried to carry out, every bit of development work that I am speaking about. They feel that’s the only way they can do politics probably but I’m going ahead, I don’t care really because I’m not here for the politics, I’m here because I made a promise to the people of Mandya that I would be there for them and that’s what I’m doing .

NT: You have completed three years as MP. Another two years are left for the next General election. Have you been able to fulfill the promises made to the people of Mandya?

It’s been two and a half years now actually. In June I’ll be completing three years and if you’ve noticed my election speeches anywhere, I don’t make promises. I have never made promises like they do usually in politics. That’s not my way of functioning and I I don’t like to sell lies. I know it’s a huge challenge and we try to do our best. Well I’ve told you that during my election when farmers came to me and spoke to me then, the main thing they wanted me to do was to raise the illegal mining issue in parliament as well as here. I think I did that more so than anybody else. I don’t think anybody has ever attempted before me to do that. I think I brought it to the notice of everybody not just in the State but in Parliament as well as the central ministers did take note of it. Subsequently there was action taken and around Krishna Raja Sagara Dam, mining has been stopped. So I would say yes that has been quite a huge feat and I really took on the fight and never bowed down to anybody’s pressure. In fact, there was tremendous pressure from a lot of quarters but I didn’t really stop because of that. I’ve been fighting to get the sugar factories open. These were the promises I had made to my people of Mandya and I have been doing it. There are several other things which are not in my scope as an MP to do. But I’ve been still doing that because these are the people who have given me and my late husband, M.H.Ambareesh all the love over so many years; so it’s my duty to fulfill their dreams.

NT: You have taken on various kinds of mafia which pose a grave threat to the KRS Dam. Are you successful in stopping illegal stone quarrying in your constituency?

The safety of KRS Dam is something I take very seriously. I have spoken about it thrice in Parliament and I have written letters and I’ve met everybody from the Home Minister Amit Shah to Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to the Speaker and all the concerned ministries. Even here it has been raised with many including the Gover