Letters: JJ's job

Apropos the report “Jaya sworn in as CM for third tenure” (May 17), Jayalalithaa Jayaram, or JJ as we call her in Tamil Nadu, has her task cut out. She has inherited a state in trouble. Although she can be counted on to crack down on unlawful activities, her track record suggests that she needs to consider several other issues as she starts her third term.

One is getting along with people — adversaries and dissidents in particular. P V Narasimha Rao, with his age, experience and sobriety, managed to deal with Jayalalithaa’s confrontational approach and so did Atal Bihari Vajpayee. One cannot expect Rahul Gandhi or Arun Jaitley to deal with her in the same way as the previous generation of people did. She needs to make more friends in New Delhi and other states.

Next, freebies. There is no evidence that the culture of freebies initiated by M G Ramachandran in the 1980s in Tamil Nadu – starting with the mid-day meal scheme – has struck the right note with voters in the state. The free colour television scheme was a blunder by the Karunanidhi government — officially, politically and personally. The scheme increased the state’s debt and nor did its asset base grow because the good was of a depreciable nature (televisions do not have a good asset value, post-sale). The long-term consequences of such freebies would be very painful for the aam aadmi.

Jayalalithaa’s other challenge is handling emotive issues like the Cauvery and Mullaiperiyar river disputes. She was tough with S M Krishna, demanding the outright release of water from Kabini, but Karunanidhi was too suave; a middle path is required.

It is the union-back-breaking Jayalalithaa that has the capacity to ensure law and order in the state. The question is whether the force used in ensuring law and order is justifiable politically in dealing with unions.

Overall, skill is required: Jayalalithaa definitely has it. Will she use it?

Raghu Seshadri, Chennai

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