LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER: Supriya Sule (photo by Gajanan Dudhalkar)

Q: Your induction into the NCP is the talk of the town.

A: I am just a primary member of the party and too junior right now. Though of course that doesn’t mean that I will ever give up on the basic issues that I have been working on — education, healthcare, women’s self-help groups and handicap issues. That’s my forte and passion.

I am not sure what the future holds for me but right now I am going to continue doing what I have been doing for sometime now. I run schools for tribal children in Maharashtra, help the formation of self-help groups in rural areas and am working on bringing awareness in the healthcare area. Some 52 per cent of women in Maharashtra are anaemic. If the women are weak, families go to seed, they produce weak children and the cycle of malnutrition continues. Most families in Maharashtra are getting fewer than 1,200 calories a day. We need to bring awareness about health and education to every household, not merely in Maharashtra but the entire country.

Q: When did you take the decision to enter public life?

A: I have been thinking about it for a while. One should start somewhere. For me, it is purely issue based. For me, this is truly a medium for standing up for the cause I believe in.

Q: A lot of people seem to think that you are a future chief minister.

A: I can’t help it if there is speculation. I am not giving anybody any such signals. It is too much speculation, too soon.

Q: Will a political platform help further your cause?

A: Mr Pawar says that the NCP has to do 80 per cent social work and 20 per cent politics. I would love to go on that basis.

Q: Does the NCP really do 80 per cent social work? There are so many notorious elements in the party.

A: There are different elements in every party. It is a part of the game. I am not justifying either side of it. But I feel that we should try and do our best. What is social work? What is politics? To stand up for your issues.

Q: What kind of a childhood did you have? What was it like being Sharad Pawar’s daughter?

A: I had a normal childhood. My dad is the best dad in the world because he always gave me time.

Q: Did your upbringing shape your eventual decision to make politics a career?

A: Politics is not a career option. It is a way of life. It’s about the vision and dreams you have and how to go about putting them into action.

Q: Does your father give you tips on surviving in politics?

A: No, my father has never discussed this with me. Not before, not now.

Q: How does your husband view your entry into active politics?

A: He is very supportive. And it is not different from what I have been doing so far. I still make one trip to all my schools in Talasseri, Pune, Sholapur, Satara and Kolhapur in Maharashtra.

Q: Do you have any strong beliefs? A: I believe that schools in villages can be converted into community centres where women can converge. Right now we are working on pilot projects in Parbhani, in Nandurbar and other areas. We are getting women to organise self-help groups, identify and create a right product, brand and sell it well. There is also a 100 per cent buy back facility. In Parbhani, the women are practising sericulture. Once the women make money, they become more confident. They also get involved in micro credit and other schemes and then we talk to them about creating awareness about potable water, sanitation, hygiene, the need for giving a good education to their children and so on.

Q: Has it worked?

A: It is not a short-term project where I can show results instantly. It will take five to seven years to know whether we have succeeded.

Q: How many women have benefited?

A: There are 40,000 women in the group. It is not run by me alone. There are several other organisations that are also working on the same lines. We work along with them.

Q: Do you plan to spread the Parbhani experience elsewhere in Maharashtra?

A: What works in Parbhani might not work in Raigad. Basically, one has to empower women to form self-help groups so that they can identify their own product, create a brand and sell it.

I will cite a small example. In Mokhada in Thane district which is a tribal area, there are no proper roads and just one educational institute to speak of. But they have a dish TV shop, they have Pepsi, they hawk Kurkure and Coke. Obviously if these brands have reached a place like Mokhada, surely there is a market for other brands. We have to find a brand that works here.

Q: When did you start all this?

A: Since I came back from Singapore five years ago. I was there for almost a decade after I got married. When I came back, I started off with my ashramshalas which basically are boarding schools for adivasi children. I run seven ashramshalas.

Q: Name two young politicians who you think are future leaders.

A: (Hesitates) Pata nahin…

Q: Where do you think the Shiv Sena will be in the next five years?

A: No idea.

Q: Where will be the NCP be in the next five years?

A: Right on top. I feel we should do well.

Q: Name 10 things you would do if you were the chief minister.

A: That’s a bizarre question.

Q: Let me rephrase the question. What would be your core area of focus if you became a minister?

A: Shelter for all. Good quality education for all. Potable water. Good sanitation. A proper garbage system in Mumbai and the rural areas. Good infrastructure which means 24x7 power supply. Instilling good civic sense in both the government and the people. Creating awareness among the people on all issues and to make public figures accountable.

Trying to make more young, educated and pragmatic people come to power. Seriously do something about health care which has to be available to every human being of this country.