The Beginning of an End
One of the most shocking and saddening event of 2016 was the death of Ms. Jayalalithaa Jayaram, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. Fondly known as “Amma” she had served five terms as the CM. One of the strongest women politicians of India, her courage and determination has inspired tens of thousands. But there is equal number of opponents too. But the respect and admiration surpasses it all. Her stubborn and kick ass attitude is what inspired me the most about her. Though I am not a big fan of her party , I am a big fan of her as a leader.
Her death brought shock waves across the country and among her followers. But grief soon turned into anger. Her death is shrouded in mystery and many have raised questions about it.
To bring a person who would be half the woman “AMMA” was, would take decades. This is a view that is accepted by all political pundits and the general public. But the ADMK ministers and MLA’s think differently.
They have now brought to the front "Chinnamma” Mrs. Sasikala Natrajan the late CM’s close aide and confidante. Popularly known as the Mannargudi family, Ms. Sasikala and her family members have been well known for their association with Amma. While Sasikala has been a noticeable public figure since the 1980s, she was especially involved in the party politics since the time Jayalalithaa fell ill.
Today she has been elected as the GENERAL SECRETARY of the ADMK party. Though she is said to have been working behind the scenes in the party administration she has never contested elections. Though there are far more senior and deserving candidates in the party, she has been chosen to lead.
If one turns the Tamil news channels these days the words Chinnamma keeps hitting at us all the times. Suddenly the party members have become her followers. They have conveniently forgotten how much trouble Chinnamma has got Amma into. She was one of the main trigger of the disproportionate case against Jayalalithaa.
Imagine this scenario, a person who is basically working in your house. He/she becomes your close aide to you (you are someone who doesn’t have a family). The association with your friend gets you into lot of trouble. But still you stick with each other. Now after you have died he/she takes your home, your supporters and aspire to become you. Doesn’t this sound too much for an aide?
She lacks the power and charisma that is expected by the public right now. The return of the Mannargudi family poses the probability of ADMK turning into a family party. The public has not yet accepted her as a potential successor.
With so many people against this decision of the party, the ministers and other party members have turned a deaf ear to this.
But many youngsters like me are worried about the future of the state. With everything unclear and hurried decisions like this, the three and half years left for the next elections in TN seems a lifetime away.
