5th Column
Jaya’s poll dance with Rajiv killers
View(s):My Dear Jayalalithaa,
I am writing to you because I heard you had taken action to order the release of those who were responsible for the killing of your former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. I must say that you took me by surprise, even though I know that you sometimes act in curious ways.
I heard that while some are praising your decision, others are criticising it heavily. What they don’t realise is that, at first, this was not your idea at all. Most people seem to have forgotten that it was your old rival Karunanidhi who first demanded that they be set free.
Of course, when Karunanidhi makes that kind of demand, you can’t be seen to be doing nothing, can you, what with elections around the corner? So, you really had no choice but to order the release of these people, so that even Karunanidhi can do nothing but send you a message of congratulations.
I do admire you for being so clever because, by ordering the release of these people you have ensured, with a simple stroke of your pen, that your party is re-elected in Tamil Nadu at the general elections due in a few months. There is now no need campaign vigorously and be afraid of Karunanidhi.
I am not sure whether you are aware of this, Jayalalithaa, but nearly sixty years ago, when you would have been a little girl of eight years running around in your pigtails, one of our own Prime Ministers was also assassinated, but we dealt with it in quite a different way.
Although that Prime Minister in his deathbed asked that his assassin be dealt with mercy and compassion, laws were changed to reintroduce the death penalty and the assassin was hanged, even though he also happened to be a Buddhist monk. Obviously, you do things quite differently in Tamil Nadu!
There will be a lot of people who will be upset by this decision like your old friend Manmohan and Rajiv’s son, Rahul. In fact, both of them have said that they were very disappointed with your decision. But then, you are the Queen of Tamil Nadu, and what you say is law over there, isn’t it?
I, however, like to think that you had greater plans when you decided to order the release of these people. I am certain there was more to it than merely ordering the release of people who were convicted of killing a former Prime Minister.
I am sure you have a plan to close down all the courts and jails in Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa. This will save an enormous amount of money for your government which you can put to good use. After all, if you can free convicted murderers who killed a Prime Minister, what do you need jails for?
And remember the many times you had to answer charges of corruption and fraud? That nearly ruined your political career, didn’t it? So, if you shut down all the courts and jails in Tamil Nadu, you will not have to worry about being hauled before the courts or going to jail on corruption charges ever again!
Of course, a few other issues will remain. Do you remember how you made a big fuss about our fishermen when they are detained after being caught in Indian waters? And how you made an even bigger noise about your fishermen being detained in Sri Lanka?
After what you have done this week, you may be asked to pardon all those Sri Lankan fishermen who have been detained by your authorities. After all, if you can pardon people who had killed your own Prime Minister, you should have it in your big heart to pardon people who kill fish!
Then there is that little issue over your demand that our soldiers be tried for war crimes. I am not sure how you could also proceed with that because you have just ordered the release of people who were convicted of killing a Prime Minister in cold blood in an act of terrorism!
But I am sure you know what you are doing, Jayalalithaa. We know it is all about the next elections and how you want to have the best bargaining power when the next government is formed because Manmohan is on his way out. I am sure we will hear more from you — and we look forward to that!
Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS: I heard that you had ambitions of becoming Prime Minister as well, Jayalalithaa. If you recall, another of your Prime Ministers, Rajiv’s mother, Indira Gandhi, was killed by Sikhs but a Sikh is today the Prime Minister of your country — and from her own party too. That is because those who were responsible for that killing were punished according to the law and hanged. So, with what you have just done, you may have kissed goodbye to your chances of you — or anyone else from your community — ever becoming Prime Minister of your country. Just think about that, will you?