The TNCC president, Mr K. Ramamurthy is back at his old game of Jaya baiting. He had ridiculed the Chief Ministerâs request to the Centre to include the Bill on reservations in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution forgetting that only a week back both the Prime Minister and Home Minister had given clear indications of the amendment being introduced in the current Parliament session itself. And in the wake of the Centre suddenly developing cold feet to do so, Mr Ramamurthyâs reckless statements claiming vindication of his stand(?) smacks of sadism and political opportunism. He has sought to exploit what may turn out to be only a temporary setback by spitting venom on Ms Jayalalitha and paying scant regard to the anxiety of thousands whose interest the latter represents. lt is a pity that the Tamilnadu Chief Minister who has done so much for securing the legitimate rights of the under-privileged should be subjected to such vitriolic attack while people who have not batted an eye lid could sit back and pass judgements with a sly âl told you soâ look adorning their faces!
And Mr Ramamurthy does not stop with that! He has ventured to remark that the President has given assent to an âinvalid legislationâ which is a blatant outrage on the countryâs first citizen and the Prime Minister who referred the Bill. In his blind hatred of Ms Jayalalitha, Mr Ramamurthy seemed to have lost all sense of direction.
Mr Ramamurthy has also suggested that the Chief Minister should seek the cooperation of all and put up a united fight. He has very conveniently forgotten that the CM did exactly that when she invited the entire Opposition to join her delegation to meet Mr Narasimha Rao. It was the Opposition which spurned her offer little realising that they are digging their own grave.
All this Jaya bashing and feigned concern for the Backward Classes are only attempts, perhaps, to divert attention from the sickening infighting in the TNCC which is on parade once again. Mr Ramamurthy has used the platform of Rajivâs birthday celebrations to launch a tirade against Mr Narasimha Raoâs leadership and warning the High Command of dire consequences if it continued to be indifferent. He has also used the opportunity to spike at Mr Moopanar describing his confrontation with the latter as âclass war between the haves and the have notsâ. This is only a vain attempt to lend an aura of respectability to a purely factional fight and fails to deceive anybody.
Ms Jayalalitha has so far handled the reservation issue with conviction and competence and there is every reason to believe that she would continue to do so. Perhaps it is time Mr Ramamurthy stopped âworryingâ about the fate of the underprivileged, leaving it to âsafer handsâ and address himself to the life and death problems facing the TNCC, for which there is no dearth. The soul searching exercise advocated by Mr Ramamurthy himself must at least result in some respite from the daily dose of non-stop nonsense in the form of statements which are neither constructive in message nor in the enlightened self-interest of the party!
 Centre must act
The Chief Minister has warned that any delay in bringing about a constitutional amendment would result in social upheavals of calamitous proportions. This observation is by no means an exaggeration; rather it is a realistic assessment of the explosive situation prevailing in the State. The Centre must heed her warning and act fast. It must make use of the national consensus that has emerged on the reservation issue and push through the amendment in the current Parliament session itself. Having come so far, it is the duty of the Prime Minister to ensure that the rights of the Backward and Most Backward Classes are established once and for all.
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