Letter from Chennai: Jayalalitha on the path to settle old scores

One of Jayalalitha's election promises to her electors was that she would give former chief minister Karunanidhi, the same treatment meted out to her by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government – a spell in jail.

Ever since the All India Anna DMK took office at Fort St George, one month ago, she has been set on the path of settling old scores. On June 12 she told the media that an inquiry by the Director of Vigilance and Anti-corruption had been ordered into the procurement of rice worth Rs65 crores during the DMK regime on the ground that rice supplied through the Public Distribution System had been rotten.

But pat came the reply from the previous food minister that he was ready to face the DVAC inquiry and that there was no truth in the AIADMK allegations.

Then, on Thursday, June 13, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against Karunanidhi and five government officials including the former home secretary, Shanta Sheela Nair, former director general of police F.C. Sharma by the Chennai city police on a complaint of torturing Muslim prisoners in the Coimbatore serial blasts case!

Preeti Bhaskar, who claims to be a social worker had in a complaint to the Georgetown police station on June 8, made the allegation that Muslims taken into custody after the blasts were "tortured in custody". The petitioner alleged that a criminal conspiracy was hatched in February and March 1999 at the Chennai secretariat were it was decided to "assault all Muslim prisoners".

It was also alleged that the DMK government "indulged in acts of violence against Muslim prisoners to create a level playing field with the BJP". The Muslim prisoners were "subjected to solitary confinement, deprived of medical attention and were not given food and other benefits".

The complaint was originally filed before the Georgetown police which was transferred by the new dispensation to the Fort St George (Secretariat) police station for inquiry and report. The new Commissioner of Police of Chennai, K. Muthukaruppan, told the media on Friday that the police had received the complaint and a case was registered as per court orders.

Karunanidhi said in a meeting with the press that he would not be cowed down, that the DMK was not a party of cowards, and he was prepared to face all cases.

On Friday again, a karate instructor (who had once painted a portrait of Jayalalitha with blood from his hand) 'Shihan' Hussaini, has filed yet another complaint against Karunanidhi of attempted murder. Also named in the complaint are Sun TV chief, Kalanidhi Maran, son of Murasoli Maran, Union Commerce Minister, Karunanidhi's son Azhagiri and former commissioner of police of Chennai, Kalimuthu. Muthukaruppan said police were treating this complaint also as a petition and investigation was in progress.

Jayalalitha is not acting only against her main enemy. Three of her ministers were summarily dropped and replaced for "administrative reasons", according to her. Ayyaru Vandayar who was appointed minister last month hails from a family of congressmen. Another was V. Jayaraman and the third was A.R. Viswanathan. The main crime against the three apparently was that they acted without permission calling press conferences in their constituencies without clearance from the 'Queen Bee'. Jayalalitha is also reported to have set in motion police and intelligence surveillance of her ministers to ensure that they do not indulge in corruption!

But the most interesting case filed by the Jayalalitha government was against her erstwhile foster son, V.N. Sudhakaran, the nephew of friend Sasikala.

Sudhakaran was arrested last Wednesday in Chennai on several charges including attempt to murder, possession of narcotic substances (heroin) and an unlicensed pistol.

Sudhakaran's wedding a few years ago, when he was still foster son, was celebrated by Jayalalitha in a style acknowleged worldwide as a glittering incident. But later Sudhakaran fell out with Jayalalitha and formed his own party. He was supposed to have conducted a tiger sacrifice in Warangal (in Andhra) over a year ago, for Jayalalitha's welfare.

The charge against him was filed by his own secretary, Gopi Sridharan, who accused Sudhakaran of having him assaulted and threatened to kill him.

Karunanidhi who was asked by pressmen about this incident quipped that Sudhakaran was supposed to have amassed immense funds "but I do not know whose money it was". The money is supposed to be a bone of contention between Jayalalitha and Sudhakaran, with aunt Sasikala and uncle Natarajan pleading with Jayalalitha for more time to get the youngster to come round.

Jayalalitha needs money for all the moves which she has to make in connection with the cases against her in the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court. Incidentally Sudhakaran's father T.T.V. Vivekanandan has also been nabbed by the police.

Produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate on Wednesday before being whisked off to jail, Sudhakaran who was arrested at three a.m. said :"It is a golden letter day in my life. This case has been foisted on me. I believe in God. He will take care". Apart from the hard cash, Sudhakaran is also supposed to be responsible for the disappearance of crores of rupees worth of TV equipment which belonged to the erstwhile JJTV which was shut down after cases of foreign exchange violations.

Jayalalitha has done little about the Public Interest Litigations looming over her in the Supreme Court and the Madras High court. No one knows what she has up her sleeve. Unless these cases are decided in her favour, her chief ministership may be in jeopardy.

Time is running out and she has little to claim as achievements either in protecting her future or in demolishing her opponents. November 14 will be the deadline by which she will either have to be elected against the Centeral Election Commission's disqualification clauses or be pardoned by the Governor.

The last, which was being talked about, now appears to be another non-starter. Governor Fatima Beevi is incidentally at the moment, in New Delhi. Yet another threat looms in the form of Subramanian Swamy, the loose cannon. In the immediate future he may migrate to Harvard, but is bound to return with new arrows in his quiver against his current hate objects, Jayalalitha and Sonia Gandhi.