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Jayalalithaa the enigma of Tamil Nadu politics
View(s):Dateline Chennai
By Kumar Chellappan
Tamil Nadu (TN), a State known for political stability, for the last three decades, is back in the news with uncertainty staring in the face of the ruling AIADMK, following the December 5 death of party leader and State’s Chief Minister (CM) Jayaram Jayalalithaa at age 68.
While the question of who would lead the AIADMK could be partially solved in the next fortnight, the factors leading to the untimely death of Jayalalithaa is all set to hog the limelight in the coming days. Gauthami, a former lead actress, has written to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi seeking a probe into the mysterious circumstances associated with Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation and death.
The 68-year-old Jayalalithaa’s personal life was enmeshed in mysteries. AFP
The 68-year-old Jayalalithaa’s personal life was enmeshed in mysteries. She had never allowed anybody, other than her live-in companion Sasikala Natarajan and some of the latter’s close relatives, anywhere near her imposing bungalow in the upmarket Poes Garden area in Chennai. Jayalalithaa was believed to be a spinster, though there is no dearth of stories in rumour mills about her relations with film personalities such as late CM M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) and Telugu actor Shobhan Babu.
Jayalalithaa was interred near the tomb of her mentor MGR late Tuesday evening with full military honours, as President Pranab Mukherjee and PM Narendra Modi flew down to Chennai to lead the nation in paying homage to the departed leader. An unprecedented crowd hitherto unseen in Chennai’s history, turned up at the Rajaji Hall where her body lay in State to pay their last respects.
“The game begins now. It is an open game and anything can happen hereafter,” a senior AIADMK leader told this writer, as the military police sounded the Last Post and the casket containing Jayalalithaa’s body was lowered into the 8ft x 4ft pit dug near the tomb of MGR at Chennai’s Marina Beach lying along the Bay of Bengal.
Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai on the night of September 22. A release by the chief operating officer of the hospital issued the next day said the CM had fever and dehydration and needed hospitalisation for some days. Since the night she was admitted to the hospital, the authorities and caretakers of Jayalalithaa ensured that no outsiders (including BJP President Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Governor C. Vidhyasagar Rao, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and hundreds of other visitors) were allowed to see her. The outside world had to be content with releases issued by the hospital management and statements by the AIADMK spokespersons who parroted that the CM was hale, healthy and happy. They even declared that Jayalalithaa had summoned her council of ministers to the hospital ward and instructed them on the things to do in her absence. But, in reality, she was battling for her life, and the central government had deputed a team of doctors from the elite All India Institute of Medical Sciences from New Delhi, and also summoned the services of Dr Richard Bealey, a renowned intesivist from the UK.
Chairman of Apollo Hospital, Dr Pratap C. Reddy also declared that Jayalalithaa had recovered fully and said it was for the CM to decide when to go home. But it was Sasikala, her companion, who decided it was time to take Jayalalithaa home, when the doctors officially announced her demise late December 5, after 75 days of hospitalisation.
The delay in the announcement of Jayalalithaa’s death was due to the uncertainty about who would be her successor. There was a big tussle for the top post between Sasikala and Panneerselvam, if reports filtering out of the hospital are to be believed. Since the morning of December 5, one could see all the ministers and MLAs belonging to the AIADMK, trooping into the hospital, following the summons issued by Sasikala.
The Sasikala family, belonging to the Thevar community and hailing from Mannargudi in Thiruvarur district, are not related to Jayalalithaa. Sasikala is the wife of Natarajan, a former civil servant in the TN government, who is a staunch LTTE sympathiser. It was Sasikala who established herself in Jayalalithaas residence and later, her relatives too settled down at Veda Nilayam. Jayalalithaa, it is widely believed, had become a prisoner of Sasikala and family, who were described as the Mannargudi Mafia. Whenever Jayalalithaa was the CM, the Mannargudi Mafia had extended its tentacles all over the government like an octopus. They had a say in all major appointments, as well as in the awarding of government contracts. All corruption cases in which Jayalalithaa was an accused, had Sasikala and her relatives as co-accused. Except for the Disproportionate Asset case which is awaiting judgment in the Supreme Court, Jayalalithaa and Sasikala had successfully come out of all the other cases.
Jayalalithaa had a brother by the name of Jayakumar. He has two children, Deepa and Deepak. Deepa was never allowed anywhere near the Veda Nilayam by Sasikala and her relatives. When she went to the hospital, Deepa was not allowed inside. She was also chased away by the goons hired by Sasikala, when the former went to Veda Nilayam on Tuesday morning to pay her last respects to her aunt. She, like the other common people, had to wait in the queue to get a glimpse of her departed aunt’s face!
Sasikala has pitched in for the post of General Secretary of the AIADMK, the most powerful position in the party. Though she has no formal education or any experience in public life, she has told her hangers-on that, working with Jayalalithaa for the last three decades itself is an experience. There are some hangers-on who have started addressing her as Chinnamma (Tamil for Mother’s younger sister). But, what is to be seen is that, in a caste ridden society like TN, whether people would agree to two members of the Thevar community, usurp the most important posts. Both Panneerselvam and Sasikala are from the Thevar community, while there are equally powerful and influential communities like the Gaunders and Vanniyars, who form the crucial electorate in the party.
Interestingly, AIADMK founder MGR was a Menon from Kerala (he was not a Tamil in any sense). Jayalalithaa was a Tamil Iyengaar born near Mysore, as her parents had settled there. Both MGR and Jayalalithaa had cosmopolitan outlooks, cutting above caste and communities. For the people of TN, both MGR (known as Makkal Tilkam, Tamil for Star of the People) and Jayalalithaa (Puraitchi Thalaivi, Tamil for Revolutionary Leader), were above caste and communal politics. Their previous roles as film stars had given them an aura of divinity and charisma. There are no leaders in the AIADMK to match the stature of these two leaders. Others are seen as local chieftains with their own vested interests and hidden agendas. In such a situation, what stands out is the question: What will happen to the AIADMK?
With Jayalalithaa leaving to fulfil her rendezvous with her Maker, some changes in TN politics is certain to happen. India’s ties with Sri Lanka is expected to improve, as the shrill demand for the retrieval of Katchatheevu islets would die a natural death. There is no leader in TN, as of today, to take up the issue with the spirit and vigour with which Jayalalithaa fought for it. The trespass by the TN fishermen into Sri Lankan waters too would come down, as there are no leaders in the State to take up cudgels on their behalf.
But, what is disturbing from the Sri Lankan angle is the revival of LTTE and its operations in Chennai. Intelligence and security experts in TN were shocked to receive releases issued by the LTTE, condoling Jayalalithaa’s death. It may sound strange, but Jayalalithaa never liked the LTTE. She was the only politician in TN, other than BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who demanded the banning of the dreaded outfit in India. The condolence message proves that the Tigers are alive and kicking in TN.
| Did Jayalalithaa have to go the way she did, and why? The Government of India may have to order a high level probe into the cause/s behind the death of former TN CM Jayaram Jayalalithaa. This is in the backdrop of unconfirmed reports circulating in the social media that, she was being slowly poisoned to death by someone close to her. Jayalalithaa’s last, major public function was the Independence Day parade held at Fort Saint George in Chennai on August 15, where she took the salute during a march past by the military and State Police. She hoisted the national tri-colour and gave away CM’s Prizes to meritorious civil servants. But she was looking very ill on that occasion. It was with difficulty she took each step and looked like she could fall any time. Doordarshan, Chennai, the national broadcaster’s regional service had telecast live visuals of the Parade, and it is clear from the pictures that Jayalalithaa was ill.On September 22, Jayalalithaa inaugurated the metro rail service between the airport and a nearby station, through video conferencing from her office at Fort Saint George. “She looked very ill on that day. I was doubting whether she could last the function,” a senior official who had watched her attending to the function, told the Sunday Times.  Jayalalithaa's last rites were performed by Sasikala (pictured above) who was assisted by Deepak, Jayalalithaa’s nephew Why she was not taken to a hospital during the period between August 15 and September 22, is a question which needs to be answered by people supposed to take care of Jayalalithaa. The truth is that, her residence Veda Nilayam in Chennai’s Poes Garden, had been completely taken over by the relatives and associates of Sasikala Natarajan, her live-in companion. The house was as good as a fortress, with no admission for any outsiders. As to who the people living inside Veda Nilayam were, remains a mystery. How Natarajan, (Sasikala’s husband) managed to infiltrate into the house, in spite of him being declared a ‘persona non grata’ by Jayalalithaa, is a mystery. No relatives of Jayalalithaa were allowed anywhere near the Poes Garden, even when she was alive. Jayalalithaa’s last rites were performed by Sasikala who was assisted by Deepak, Jayalalithaa’s nephew. But the national tri-colour with which Jayalalithaa’s body had been draped, while it lay in state, was handed over to Sasikala, instead of any blood relatives of the late CM, which proved that the Mannargudi Mafia had extended its reach all over the party, as well as the State administration. There has been no official announcement about the ailments of the late CM. She was on ventilator support for most part of her hospital stay. The hospital releases never revealed the true status of her medical condition, other than in medical terms which could not be comprehended by the common man. The only time the hospital authorities announced her condition in layman’s language was late Sunday evening, when she had a cardiac arrest. Jayalalithaa’s last, major public function was the Independence Day parade held at Fort Saint George in Chennai on August 15, where she took the salute during a march past by the military and State Police. She hoisted the national tri-colour and gave away CM’s Prizes to meritorious civil servants. But she was looking very ill on that occasion. It was with difficulty she took each step and looked like she could fall any time. Doordarshan, Chennai, the national broadcaster’s regional service had telecast live visuals of the Parade, and it is clear from the pictures that Jayalalithaa was ill. On September 22, Jayalalithaa inaugurated the metro rail service between the airport and a nearby station, through video conferencing from her office at Fort Saint George. “She looked very ill on that day. I was doubting whether she could last the function,” a senior official who had watched her attending to the function, told the Sunday Times. Why she was not taken to a hospital during the period between August 15 and September 22, is a question which needs to be answered by people supposed to take care of Jayalalithaa. The truth is that, her residence Veda Nilayam in Chennai’s Poes Garden, had been completely taken over by the relatives and associates of Sasikala Natarajan, her live-in companion. The house was as good as a fortress, with no admission for any outsiders. As to who the people living inside Veda Nilayam were, remains a mystery. How Natarajan, (Sasikala’s husband) managed to infiltrate into the house, in spite of him being declared a ‘persona non grata’ by Jayalalithaa, is a mystery. No relatives of Jayalalithaa were allowed anywhere near the Poes Garden, even when she was alive. Jayalalithaa’s last rites were performed by Sasikala who was assisted by Deepak, Jayalalithaa’s nephew. But the national tri-colour with which Jayalalithaa’s body had been draped, while it lay in state, was handed over to Sasikala, instead of any blood relatives of the late CM, which proved that the Mannargudi Mafia had extended its reach all over the party, as well as the State administration. There has been no official announcement about the ailments of the late CM. She was on ventilator support for most part of her hospital stay. The hospital releases never revealed the true status of her medical condition, other than in medical terms which could not be comprehended by the common man. The only time the hospital authorities announced her condition in layman’s language was late Sunday evening, when she had a cardiac arrest. Till the central government in New Delhi orders a thorough probe into the circumstances surrounding her death, TN would see many unanswered questions and unasked queries lingering on the landscape of State politics. At the time of going to press, news was trickling in that Sasikala Natarajan is all set to become the new General Secretary of the AIADMK… the new Chinnamma of TN! | |