Few governments can achieve so much in just two years. And it is also equally rare to see a ruling party that has kept most of its pre-power promises. Indeed it is a measure of the diligence and commitment of the DMK mandarins hailing from the barracks of the Arivalayam that the bygone two years under their rational dispensation has been one of grand achievements.
If one is left wondering if this preface is slightly deceptive and unclear, and leaves much to imagination, it is because it is about someone who himself is a master in the art of deception, and of late, in self-deception, too. After all, charity begins at home. If the subject itself is dubious, the mirror has no choice but to reflect the reality. Now to the point.
I had mentioned the word achievements (refer Sentence 1, Para 1). A word of caution, however. An old bird had said that truth lies in the eyes of the beholder. Another equally old bird had, ironically reasoned that seeing is not believing. This is where rationalism, of the Arivalayam brand, comes into play. In these troubled times where cynics are dime a dozen, it becomes difficult to sift through the maze of disinformation and distortion and see clearly the truth, as seen, of course by the CM and his cohorts, sorry, coborns. Here we present below what we have seen, beheld and of course, believed.
The greatest achievement of the ruling party is its undying faith in the importance of Family in nation building. The DMK owes its growth and success to its undiluted commitment and promotion of Family Values and whatever The Family values. And soon after it romped home to power the CM wasted no time in firming up the Family ties and its ties with the government. A favourite nephew who also happens to be the CM’s Man Friday, Saturday, Sunday etc, etc, found himself in the seat of power in the Capital, stalking the bhavans and blocks there, unchecked and presiding over the nation’s coffers as dutifully as if it were his own. Back home in Chennai, it was the turn of the very dear Son who coincidentally happened to be just a member of his father’s party. Scotching all wild speculations and baseless allegations that he was grooming the Son as the next CM, the DMK chief made him the Mayor of the city Corporation. In one stroke the self-righteous man proved to the world that he was not a protagonist of dynastic rule as perceived. After all he was not the Mayor of the city and so there could be no objection to the son becoming one, went the rational logic.
The two year rule was also boom time for a few businesses. Sandalwood trading, which remained the sole preserve of forest brigands found patrons in civilization also, what with even ruling party MLAs pitching in to remove the stigma attached to that business. Also, it was great times for the Satellite TV business, with the all powerful Sun spreading its rays into hitherto unknown realms, albeit to promote Tamil. For example, with the Centre and the State firmly under wraps, the Sun’s light dawned over other non-Tamil states too in the form of Udhaya, Gemini etc, etc in tune with their founding tenet of Engum Tamil, Edhilum Tamil. Also, this ancient language was further glorified when it entered the sacred precincts of the Temples of TN, where archanas were sung in praise of the Lord.. of Fort. St. George.
The bomb blasts in Kovai on the eve of polls were another feather in the government’s cap, if the White Paper is to be believed. True, sixty people perished, but it could have been 600 or even 6,000. The fact that so many of us are still alive, speaks volumes for the government’s understanding and concern about the terrorists, sorry, terrorists’ design. The CM also reminds us, a little too often, that but for his government, Home Minister Advani would not have been alive today. Of course, we should not mistake his averment as a preemptive bid to evoke the gratitude of Advani, who coincidentally is in charge of L&O and through it, Art…well, forget it.
These are but a few samples of their monumental achievements, but the list is limitless. There is the wholesale jailing of all political opponents, reduction in milk prices by half a rupee, after it was first hiked by one and half rupees, the saving in power owing to the return to the dark ages and so on.
I had also referred to some promises kept by the rulers (Sentence 2, para 1). But by oversight I failed to mention to whom these promises were made. I shall now proceed to explain forthwith. There was this promise of amnesty to the bandit Veerappan, before polls when he gave the pre-historic interview to a Tamil magazine, which was elaborately beamed by the nephew’s son’s TV. Ever since, the bandit’s free access to the media has been a singular shining example of a thriving press freedom under the DMK dispensation. Of course, the bandit himself feels that the promise of allowing him to join the mainstream is yet to materialise, but he can rest assured that the authorities are not lacking in will and one day he is sure to realise his ambition of turning from a law breaker to law-maker.
Then there were the promises on the removal of Kottaimedu checkposts in Kovai that were religiously adhered to soon after the DMK assumed power. The simultaneous release of several elements whom the earlier regime had imprisoned on considerations of national security, all these ensured that Kovai and TN itself remained a ‘haven of peace’. Only incurable critics will claim that these acts of the ruling party paved the way for the Kovai blasts and for Islamic terrorism gaining roots in the States. The reality is that all these are happening of all places, in TN because the Masjid was demolished five and a half years back. If you do not believe the government, then try pulling down the Thanjavur Temple and see what happens after five years. The government continued to respect the promise of abstinence from duty, even when Jihads and AI-Ummas openly distributed knives and built up a huge stockpile right under the noses of the authorities. So what, promises have to be kept, and there was no way the government was going to backtrack. The authorities stuck to the promise of protecting the ‘minority’ even when they had adequate prior knowledge of what a section of that minority was upto.
And so went a saga for two long years. Achievements indeed!
email the writer to [email protected]