BackJayalalithaa returns as Tamil Nadu chief minister for fifth time
The swearing-in ceremony lasted less than 30 minutes and saw the 67-year-old Jayalalithaa taking oath followed by the 28 ministers in chorus
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Chennai: AIADMK supremo J.Jayalalithaa was sworn in on Saturday as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time, ending months of political uncertainty and policy paralysis in the southern state of India.
The ceremony lasted less than 30 minutes and saw the presence of prominent figures such as industrialist and former BCCI chief N.Srinivasan, actor Rajnikanth and Jayalalithaa’s confidante Sasikala Natarajan and even some BJP leaders. The 67-year-old took oath followed by the 28 ministers in chorus at the Centenary Hall of Madras University. All ministers of her previous cabinet except MSM Anandan and Chenthur Pandian were brought back.
The news comes less than two weeks after the Karnataka high court acquitted the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief in a corruption case that had forced her to step down from office last September.
The roads of the city, which are all set to welcome back the iron lady as chief minister, are lined with massive posters and hoardings of the AIADMK chief in her various avatars—benevolent goddess, intimidating warrior, simpering movie star, zealous speaker and saviour of the masses.
Security was beefed up considerably, especially in the Chepauk area of the University of Madras campus, where the swearing in took place, with police cordoning off the area for the general public and the media. According to The Hindu, a bomb threat was received at the railway control room around midnight, which was later found to be a hoax by investigators.
A few BJP leaders, including Pon Radhakrishnan and L Ganesan, put in a token appearance. According to Raveendran Duraisamy, a political analyst, though the AIADMK government certainly holds tremendous sway in the state, the result of the next elections will be dependent on the alliances that will emerge at that time.
He also told Mint that he does not believe that Jayalalithaa will dissolve the assembly in a hurry, as she needs time to smooth out issues in the state. Several government projects have come to a standstill during her absence from active politics. Notable among them is the Metro Rail Project which according to popular speculation is complete but cannot be thrown open to the public unless Amma inaugurates it.
According to political analyst Sathyamoorthy, Jayalalithaa’s future and AIADMK’s prospects in the 2016 assembly elections did not depend on her relationship with other parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“When she got arrested, all the other parties spoke badly about her. After the acquittal, everyone has stopped talking. Amma still has considerable power in the state — I don’t think the party needs to be in a coalition with the BJP to win the assembly elections," he said.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had no differences with the Tamil Nadu government but was not in alliance with any of the prominent parties in the state.
“We have cordial relations with the Tamil Nadu government. As far as people’s welfare is concerned, there is no difference between the centre and the Tamil Nadu government. We are not in alliance with the AIADMK or the DMK," Jaitley said at a press conference.
Sathyamoorthy does not expect much change in the state in the next year, but hopes for better execution of some of the existing welfare measures.
Some others were less excited about Jayalalithaa’s return to power.
“Jayalalitha is not totally released from the disproportionate assets case. The judgement is under scrutiny for ignoring the directions of the apex court and huge errors. She remains culpable before the public eye. Jayalalitha herself knows that she may have to face legal issues once the Karnataka government takes a decision on appealing against the verdict day after tomorrow. Hence, she is rushing to be sworn in," S Ramadoss, founder of PMK party, said in a statement.
“She has always been courted by most national political parties and has had a long standing association with the Prime Minister. However, politically, the BJP’s dream of replacing her in the state could be shattered as of now with her return," Swarna Rajagopalan, a Chennai-based political scientist said.
“As far as the governance in the state is concerned there was really not much disconnect because the policies that she had put in place were active even during the interim period. The only thing which we can say is that if more time had lapsed in her take over, the party could have seen some departures which were clearly avoided," she added.
(Gyan Verma, Anuja in Delhi contributed to this story.)
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