Monday, February 20, 2017

Jayalalithaa: an enigma?

Jayalalithaa had claimed many times that she wanted to be a lawyer. Her mother forced her to be an actress. Jayalalithaa never wanted to be a politician. MGR compelled her to enter politics. In her entire life, she was what she did not want to be.

There was no pattern to her actions either. She propped up a ministry at the centre and then destabilised it. She supported some central governments and opposed some. Nobody could read her mind. Perhaps she herself couldn't.

She opened many liquor shops. In her final days, she ordered closure of a few. Her order was not executed during her life. She selected a few deserving persons to become MPs and MLAs. She chose many riff-raff elements also. She banished some undesirable elements from her party. At the same time, she consorted with the most undesirable of all.

She was apparently authoritarian, but was controlled by others. Now the chief minister says he is only ensuring Jaya-raj in the state. Edappadi Palaniswamy can do anything and yet claim he is following the Jayalalithaa path (of course under the guidance of Sasikala) since Jayalalithaa was a bundle of contradictions.

Like her life, her death also was planned by somebody else.

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