It is said that politicians spend half their time making promises and the other half making excuses. This age-old dictum has seen little change except for the fact that even excuses are deemed unnecessary, thanks to the proverbial public memory. Their assurances to the hapless voters especially when the ‘election fever’ grips are mere delirious rhetoric meant only to be forgotten. Matching words with deeds is anathema to them.
Such being the general hue of the politicians across the country, it is indeed heartening to see one who is strikingly different from the crowd. As the Tamilnadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalitha steps into her fifth year in office, her reign represents one of great achievements far in excess of the targets set.
Phenomenal industrial growth, social justice for the downtrodden, peace and tranquility, prohibition, rice at affordable prices… these are not promises made but promises kept, to name a few. Ms. Jayalalitha has not only fulfilled all her assurances but has in fact done more than what she had promised. This indeed is the rarity.
It would be no exaggeration to say that Tamilnadu under Ms Jayalalitha is a role model for other States and the nation. The noon-meal scheme and the opening of all-women police stations have been widely appreciated and emulated not only in India but also abroad. Tamilnadu has won the place of pride in the World Bank schemes for child-women welfare and small farmers, a privilege which no other State enjoys. The World Bank officials who had met the Chief Minister were all praise for Tamilnadu’s efforts and sincerity in implementing the various projects funded by them. The American Ambassador who called on Ms Jayalalitha recently not only lauded the growth achieved by the State but also went as far as to say that weaker sections and minorities are safe under Ms Jayalalitha. The statement coming from the American Ambassador is significant as it proves that Tamilnadu’s improvement is not at the cost of people’s welfare. This by no means is a mean achievement. In the context of the wide-ranging debate about the reforms vis-a-vis people’s welfare, Ms Jayalalitha has shown that there is no need to compromise on either. The Dupont project is another feather in her cap white the whole nation knows the fate of the Enron project in Maharashtra, where sheer rhetoric has cost the State dearly.
Champion of downtrodden
She endeared herself to the oppressed classes when she singlehandedly secured the presidential and parliamentary assent for the Bill passed by the Tamilnadu Legislature protecting the 69 per cent reservation for BCs and OBCs. The Eighth World Tamil Conference at Thanjavur was indeed a cultural renaissance which brought her world acclaim. Her success on both these fronts pushed the TN Opposition, especially the Congress, to newer lows. On the reservation issue they refused to join the all-party delegation led by the Chief Minister to meet Mr. Narasimha Rao and thus forfeited ail claims to credit when she had her way eventually. All their efforts to prevent the Prime Minister from coming to the World Tamil Conference turned futile when the latter not only attended the valedictory function but also praised Ms. Jayalalitha for her services to Tamil, much to the chagrin of the so-called ‘protectors of Tamil’.
Democracy in Tamilnadu was subjected to severe strain when the Head of State, with the bounden duty to enable the smooth functioning of the administration, preferred, on the contrary to throw a spanner in the works of the government. Our very excellent Governor Dr. Channa Reddy, with his unconcealed hostility for Ms.Jayalalitha born out of Jealousy, had no qualms about converting the Raj Bhavan into an Opposition parties Bhavan. After shooting his arrows from the shoulders of obliging Opposition leaders, he came out in the open when he gave permission to Swamy to prosecute Jayalalitha. And not stopping with that, he set about inviting other Opposition leaders to present petitions as a result of which the palace of intrigues which is what the Raj Bhavan is, was flooded with Jaya-baiters. But the wind was taken out of their sails when the Supreme Court stayed the prosecution proceedings to the discomfiture of Swamy, Lekha & Co.
Destined for greater role
The AIADMK under its supremo Ms Jayalalitha has emerged as a cohesive, disciplined and a powerful force in the State. This is in sharp contrast to parties in other States and also at the national level where dissidence and indiscipline masquerading under the garb of inner party democracy are eating at their very roots. When there is a dearth for stable and credible leadership in almost all parties even at the national level, Ms Jayalalitha’s stewardship of her party clearly stands out as a happy exception. There is no doubt that she and the AIADMK are going to play a major role at the Central level, which is quite obvious from the fact that almost all all-India parties are wooing her support.
Ms Jayalalitha, with her sure feel of the pulse of the masses, her ability to live upto their expectations and her penchant to keep promises made at the hustings, coupled with an ennobling vision, stands today as a towering leader.
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