The AIADMK supremo won the hearts of millions, especially women, with a slew of welfare measures though she was strongly criticised for her imperious style of functioning. Her death has left her party and government at a crossroads.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, is passing through a crucial phase in its 44-year existence. The death of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who was the party’s supreme leader, at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai on December 5 saw a quick transition of power. O. Panneerselvam, who was number two and Finance Minister in the Jayalalithaa Cabinet, was sworn in as Chief Minister by Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao just two hours after Jayalalithaa’s death at around 11.30 p.m.
Even as thousands of party cadres are grieving over the demise of Jayalalithaa and making a beeline for the MGR Memorial on Marina beach in Chennai, her last resting place, to pay their respects, her “surrogate sister” and aide V.K. Sasikala, who wielded enormous power in the party and the AIADMK government despite being an extra constitutional authority, is all set to become the party general secretary. Although party leaders at various levels invited her to take over the reins, the move has caused resentment among the cadres who view Sasikala as a pretender to the throne who, according to them, does not possess the necessary qualities to lead a party having 1.5 crore primary members. Grass-root workers feel she is not a charismatic mass leader like Jayalalithaa.
Denne historien er fra January 6, 2017-utgaven av FRONTLINE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 6, 2017-utgaven av FRONTLINE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
