Amma The Great
Why did the people of India boot the NDA out of the psephological realms of this great country?
Take Tamilnadu as a case in point- Elections, Lok Sabha or Legislature, have always been passionate affairs in this amazing state. Time and again its electorate have defied popular opinion and made perfectly sane psephologists and exit poll pundits look like absolute idiots. No half measures for these people- Its always absolute victory or absolute routing. Anti incumbency, say the post poll experts(anyone with an opinion). But methinks there is more to it than just the good old A.I factor. Amma had antagonized the public sector employees big time and it was payback time. Radical tax reforms in the state added to her unpopularity. By making forced religious conversions punishable, she did not exactly endear herself to the minorities(a most inappropriate term since they are almost a majority by virtue of their prolific ability to procreate). But the most important deciding factor in Dravidian politics is 'emotions'and 'Kalaignar' Muthuvel Karunanidhi, definitely not a saint himself, knows this better than anyone. And the sympathy factor was ripe for immediate exploitation. DMK cadres lost no time in drumming up support from the working class via thousands of trade unions all over Tamilnadu. This state thinks more from the heart than from the head. Any perceived weakness will be mercilessly exploited to the hilt by the opposition as proved in the recently concluded elections. Having just one ally and that too a party largely perceived by the Dravidian parties as an 'Aryan' party that will not stop short of imposing Sanskrit and Saraswati Vandana on the Tamilians, did not help Amma one bit. But Amma being the irrepressible, compulsive gambler she is, took a chance with the BJP- A decision that bore disastrous
consequences for her. But adversity makes this lady stronger as she has shown time and again. She will not stop until she has destroyed Karunanidhi, politically and mentally.
Now this task will not be easy by any standards simply because the DMK controls the most powerful propaganda machinery India has ever seen- "Sun TV" and its several sizeable regional arms is arguably the single biggest factor that contributed to the DMK's victory.
Kalanidhi Maran and Dayanidhi Maran, sons of the late Murasoli Maran control virtually the entire cable TV network in Chennai and a sizeable chunk of the rest of Tamilnadu, through their cable mother ship Sumangali Cable Vision or SCV to the lay person. Little wonder that DMK won because with such propaganda power it is very difficult to be losers. I stark contrast, Madam with her Jaya TV, struggled to reach out to the masses. The Tamil electorate sways very easily to melodrama and publicity that more often than not borders on vulgarity, what with garish mini skyscraper sized cutouts of politicians and film stars looming over them like power hungry vultures that they are.
My conclusion you ask?
Well I have no doubt in my mind that 'Amma' will bounce right back into political spotlight and supremacy faster than I can say Jayalalitha Jayaram!!!!!
Watch out MK... She can still have you dragged out of bed at 3 am with you in your pathetic lungi, screaming "kaapathinga", "kaapathinga"!! Remember? .. Nostalgia is not always a pleasant sensation!!!!!
Take Tamilnadu as a case in point- Elections, Lok Sabha or Legislature, have always been passionate affairs in this amazing state. Time and again its electorate have defied popular opinion and made perfectly sane psephologists and exit poll pundits look like absolute idiots. No half measures for these people- Its always absolute victory or absolute routing. Anti incumbency, say the post poll experts(anyone with an opinion). But methinks there is more to it than just the good old A.I factor. Amma had antagonized the public sector employees big time and it was payback time. Radical tax reforms in the state added to her unpopularity. By making forced religious conversions punishable, she did not exactly endear herself to the minorities(a most inappropriate term since they are almost a majority by virtue of their prolific ability to procreate). But the most important deciding factor in Dravidian politics is 'emotions'and 'Kalaignar' Muthuvel Karunanidhi, definitely not a saint himself, knows this better than anyone. And the sympathy factor was ripe for immediate exploitation. DMK cadres lost no time in drumming up support from the working class via thousands of trade unions all over Tamilnadu. This state thinks more from the heart than from the head. Any perceived weakness will be mercilessly exploited to the hilt by the opposition as proved in the recently concluded elections. Having just one ally and that too a party largely perceived by the Dravidian parties as an 'Aryan' party that will not stop short of imposing Sanskrit and Saraswati Vandana on the Tamilians, did not help Amma one bit. But Amma being the irrepressible, compulsive gambler she is, took a chance with the BJP- A decision that bore disastrous
consequences for her. But adversity makes this lady stronger as she has shown time and again. She will not stop until she has destroyed Karunanidhi, politically and mentally.
Now this task will not be easy by any standards simply because the DMK controls the most powerful propaganda machinery India has ever seen- "Sun TV" and its several sizeable regional arms is arguably the single biggest factor that contributed to the DMK's victory.
Kalanidhi Maran and Dayanidhi Maran, sons of the late Murasoli Maran control virtually the entire cable TV network in Chennai and a sizeable chunk of the rest of Tamilnadu, through their cable mother ship Sumangali Cable Vision or SCV to the lay person. Little wonder that DMK won because with such propaganda power it is very difficult to be losers. I stark contrast, Madam with her Jaya TV, struggled to reach out to the masses. The Tamil electorate sways very easily to melodrama and publicity that more often than not borders on vulgarity, what with garish mini skyscraper sized cutouts of politicians and film stars looming over them like power hungry vultures that they are.
My conclusion you ask?
Well I have no doubt in my mind that 'Amma' will bounce right back into political spotlight and supremacy faster than I can say Jayalalitha Jayaram!!!!!
Watch out MK... She can still have you dragged out of bed at 3 am with you in your pathetic lungi, screaming "kaapathinga", "kaapathinga"!! Remember? .. Nostalgia is not always a pleasant sensation!!!!!
