Self-Deception!

On the eve of the anniversary of any political party, leaders of the respective parties are accustomed to issue messages to their rank and file, recalling the progress made since founding, trials and tribulations it faced, struggles, sacrifices of the cadres, successes achieved etc., and exhort the cadre to march ahead with renewed vigour. But Jayalalitha is an abnormal and outlandish leader of a peculiar outfit, that she always prefers not to be bracketed with ‘Ordinary and customary folks’ but wants to affix her own stamp in everything she does. Predictably her message to her cadre on the eve of the 39th founding day of her outfit contained nothing but her typical exultations and outrageous outpourings. Suffering from chronic mental disorders of megalomania and Kalaignar-phobia, she could not rather issue a sober message even on an occasion like commemoration of the founding day of her party and instead cling on to her usual self-boasting and Kalaignar bashing.

Beginning with the recollection of the history of her party, she had started only from her appointment as Propaganda Secretary in 1983 and her ‘solo-campaign’ for the 1984 general elections in the absence of MGR, thus covering up the leadership period and rule of MGR from 1972 to 1987. She had consciously avoided making any mention of MGR’s rule in the state and the ‘achivements’ during his chiefministership but blew her own tumpet on her regimes between 1991-96 and 2001-06. It is now everybody’s knowledge in Tamil Nadu that Jayalalitha does not mention her ‘mentor’s’ name or tolerates her party functionaries projecting MGR’s image. There were cases of her party functionaries stripped of their posts for prominently portraying MGR figure in their billboards and advertisements in dailies. Disgusted with her design of systematically eroding the memory of their leader, many staunch MGR loyalists left the ADMK and floated their own outfits or joined the DMK and other parties leaving only careerist Jaya-cronies in her party.

The dread for Kalaignar haunts Jayalalitha so virulently that, she might go to the extent of calling the sunrise in the east and sunset in the west also as a ‘conspiracy of Karunanidhi’. What else can be said of her accusing Kalaignar of utilizing the death of MGR to his advantage and with the assistance of some ‘traitors of ADMK’ splitting that party, locking up their party headquarters and getting their election symbol of ‘two leaves’ freezed. By this statement she may attempt to mislead youngsters on her party but she cannot manipulate history to suit her ends. She had totally covered up her sending missives in her own handwriting to the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi when MGR was bedridden, to remove him from office and install her as CM, MGR issuing a directive to his followers not to have any contact with her accusing her of plotting against him, many loyal followers of MGR including his wife Janaki Ammal isolating her, her group of legislators creating an unprecedented pandemonium in the Tamil Nadu Assembly when the Ministry led by Janaki Ramachandran sought to move a confidence motion thus leading to the dissolution of the Assembly and imposition of President’s rule in January 1988, the ruckus and street brawl created by her with her minions in front of the ADMK headquarters in Chennai resulting in its lock out, and the two factions of the ADMK fighting a no holds barred battle for capturing the organization and getting ‘two leaves’ election symbol, resulting in the Election Commission freezing it. All these developments took place when the State was under President’s rule and a benign government (for Jaya) was ruling at the Centre. Where was the question of Kalaignar having any role? In fact, all those functionaries who were instrumental in entering the ADMK headquarters, snatching away the minutes note of ADMK executive committee and manipulating the records to show that she was elected as the General Secretary of the party after MGR’s demise and who took the minority group of ADMK legislators loyal to her from place to place on countrywide jaunt prior to the vote of confidence in the Assembly in January 1988, had all been systematically sidelined by her and left the ADMK and joined other parties.

With so much load of dirty and crooked machinations to usurp the party leadership and power on her back, Jayalalitha’s attempt to pose herself as a sinned woman, who braved all the trials and tribulations united the party and redeemed the party office and election symbol, would be laughed at and pooh-phooed by her own senior colleagues and the people of Tamil Nadu.

But for the sympathy wave following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and the canards unleashed against the DMK, the ADMK would not have returned to power in 1991 was evident from its impact on the results of the simultaneously held Parliament elections throughout the country prior to and after the assassination. But ungrateful Jayalalitha not only did not acknowledge the fact but made a mockery of the gory incident in the Assembly through one of her woman legislators.

On the achievements of her ‘golden rule’, Jayalalitha could list only setting up of All-women police stations, Cradle Baby scheme, keeping the prices of essential commodities under control (a general statement without specifying the role of PDS), legal protection for 69 per cent (a feat Kalaignar would have accomplished if his government was not dismissed in 1991), and holding the eighth World Tamil conference (flayed by Tamil scholars all over the world for the house arrest and deportation of renowned Lankan Tamil scholars and turning it into a Jayalalitha flattery event) during her regime from 1991-96, and banning of lottery (because lottery barons refused to give the huge amount of commission demanded), government takeover of sand quarries (for the thriving of some persons loyal to her), turning Tamil Nadu into a power surplus state (false claim, however there was no increase in demand for power as no industries were started), gunning down of forest brigand Veerappan, free bicycles and text books for students, Annadhanam in temples and rain water harvesting scheme during her regime from 2001-06. None of these superficial ‘achievements’ contributed to the basic needs of the people, industrial and agricultural progress of the state, employment generation, infrastructural and human resources development etc.,

If they were indeed golden rules, as claimed by her, why did the people of Tamil Nadu rout her party in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in 1996, in the Lok Sabha polls in 2004 and the Assembly elections in 2006?

With the impending Assembly elections next year, Jayalalitha has started invoking the name of MGR. The findings of a survey conducted recently revealed that but for the influence of MGR among the ADMK voters, Jayalalitha by herself did not wield any. The so-called ‘MGR influence’ (which was drawn on filmy glamour and nothing ideological) itself is on the wane with objective changes in the society and demographic pattern. Nearly 70 percent of the population and over 60 per cent of voters are below the age of 35, who were either not born during his life time or were too young than to be attracted by his charisma. Moreover, education and improved access to information and understanding of affairs thorough Information technology and televisions which have become integral part of every household, have made people more knowledgeable to be swayed by celluloid glamour on charisma. People in general and younger generations in particular are more materialistic. Another indicator for the diminishing appeal of the late matinee idol is that no television channel including those owned by Jayalalitha, telecast MGR movies during prime times and on holidays, when the viewerships are maximum. Hence the so-called ‘MGR vote bank’ itself is a myth and the ADMK trying to woo it is akin to marching to reach a mirage.

The idiom, ‘once bitten, twice shy’ means “someone who has been hurt or who has had something go wrong will be far more careful the next time.” The people of Tamil Nadu had been bitten twice (in 1991-96 and 2001-06) than any number of ‘shows of strength’ that Jayalalitha could stage-manouvre will not yield her desired effect!