The ‘Villain’ in the Tales of Poes Garden!

If the laboured reconciliation between the ADMK and its allies makes for interesting reading, what went on behind the scenes, or rather, how Poes Garden goofed up by unilaterally releasing the list of candidates for 160 constituencies, even before entering into a formal agreement on the number of seats to be contested by the senior ally MDMK and identification of constituencies to be contested by other allies with whom the numbers had already been agreed upon, is nothing short of a thriller that had kept political circles, except those who are familiar with the modus operandi of the ‘iron lady’, guessing.

The list was released in the evening on March 16 and first telecast in their official television channel ‘Jaya TV’ before faxing them to offices of the newspapers. The mediapersons was surprised because the list was released even before the seat identification process with allies and seat accord with MDMK had not been finalised. They had contacted Jaya TV office and only after confirming the authenticity of the release published it in their issues for the next day, March 17. After the ADMK list made headlines in newspapers, the next day witnessed hectic activities of ADMK allies including the long-trusted ones like Dr. Sethuraman rallying behind DMDK leader actor Vijayakanth, protesting against Jayalalitha’s unilateral action raising speculation of they intending to float a Third Front sending shock waves to the rank and file of the ADMK. The peeved Poes Garden started taking damage control exercises and as a first step ‘planted’ stories in their ‘Amma’s voice’ dailies ‘Dinamalar’ and ‘Dinamani’.

The stories raised doubts about a mystery hand in Poes Garden acting without Jayalalitha’s knowledge. Either an alternative list, not approved by Jayalalitha, was released or some of the pages between page one and the last got substituted with names that included those chosen by the Mannargudi family (of Sasikala). By making the list public the family was presenting a fait accompli which she had to accept since she would have looked foolish by disowning it. The stories also stated that a few of the party’s negotiating team were aware of Sasikala’s relatives’ intervention and that they had kept Jayalalitha in dark. The daily ‘Dinamalar’ published this planted story with the lead headlines ‘conspiracy’.

The sections of the media, which are readily willing to pledge their journalistic inquisitiveness and common sense at the ‘altar of Amma’ there are no takers among ADMK office bearers and those journalists and political observers who are familiar with the style of functioning of Jayalalitha. A former MDMK Minister has told a daily, “There is no room to suspect that the list was either released without our leader’s knowledge or with alterations to accommodate candidates who had the blessing of Sasikala’s family but not Amma’s approval.” The list going public without Jayalalitha’s knowledge was something party insiders found hard to believe, because nothing moves in the ADMK without her consent.

Informed observers know this sort of modus operandi is resorted to by Jayalalitha whenever she faces uncomfortable situations. If she has really intended to stop making the list going public she could have easily done it or disowned it immediately after the Jaya TV telecast it repeatedly all through the night or at least after the newspaper published it the next morning. But she didn’t. It is not clear that she had two objectives in releasing the hapazardous list, one by staking ADMK’s claim over 160 seats remaining after allocating 74 to allies except MDMK she ensured ejection of the MDMK from the alliance; two, to make some minor alterations of any of the alliance party insisted on any change of constituency. What she did not foresee was the rallying of allies under Vijayakanth, which tantamount to ‘an alliance within the alliance’ and ‘a parallel leader’ for the ADMK alliance. She never had to swallow such ignominy in her party affairs. But for the revolt of alliance parties, the list ipso facto would have become ADMK’s list.

So in order to assuage the infuriated allies she had to plant such stories in the media and disown the foul act. After all she had disowned in the court her own signatures in the documents of TANSI property purchase deals and pulled up by the Supreme Court for moral degeneration. This is something that she attempted to disown by proxy.

When the ADMK was routed in the 1996 General elections after her notoriously corrupt regime for two years, she issued a lengthy statement ascribing all wrong doings to Sasikala and kin and ‘publicly’ renounced them, claiming she had cleansed her residences of evil forces. But within days, she went all the way to Mannargudi and brought the clan back. The hapless minions of her party could not question it. The dutiful media which emanated this new story should make clear, if at all they are true to ethics of journalism, as to why Jayalalitha had not disowned the evil forces and drive them out of her residence? All this raises the serious question – did these forces that could tinker with the ADMK’s candidates’ list remained silent and quiet when the ADMK was in power earlier or remain quiet if at all the ADMK is returned to power? Will there be two Chief Ministers – de jure and de facto to power? Where are Cho Ramasamys, Dinamanis, Dinamalars, Vikatan groups et al?