Jaya accuses media of nit-picking on her

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha has accused the media of being uncharitable, unfair, unjustified in reporting her whereas she herself is a perfectly rational, sensible, very responsible leader and a self-made woman.

In her first major TV interview in several years, Jayalalitha told Karan Thapar for the BBC's Hardtalk India that there was no change in her opposition to anyone of foreign origin ruling India. She refused to directly answer questions about Sonia Gandhi.

The interview will be telecast by the BBC on Sunday morning at 9.

Asked by Thapar whether she was an irresponsible leader, Jayalalitha replied: "I am not irresponsible at all. That is totally removed from the truth. Yes, I am misunderstood. As for all these tags, that is because the media have been against me, not just for the past three years but ever since I came to politics. Perhaps it is because the whole world is a stage and everyone is acting all the time and I tend to be straight to the point. Hypocrisy is not my forte at all. That way, I must say, I'm a bit unconventional for a politician.

"The rules of the game seem to require considerable play-acting. I have acted in films before the cameras but I am incapable of acting in real life. Let me be honest with you: I prefer to play straight and I prefer speaking the truth. If I appear to be blunt, so be it. Yes, I am misunderstood and the media have a large part to play in this."

The Chief Minister was asked if the media deliberately picked on her. "I do think so. It's because I don't have a background like the other women political leaders of Asia because I am a self-made woman.

"Politics has for long been a male bastion. Mrs Indira Gandhi changed all of that but still you must remember that Mrs Gandhi had all the inbuilt advantages. She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru.

"Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the wife of Bandaranaike, Benazir Bhutto was the daughter of Bhutto, Khaleeda Zia was the widow of Zia-Ur-Rehman, Shaikh Haseena was the daughter of Mujibur Reh-man. I have no such background. Im a self-made woman. Nothing was handed to me on a golden platter," Jayalalitha said.

Interestingly, in claiming thus to be a self-made woman, Jayalalitha has chosen to ignore the crucial role played by her former celluloid hero and the All Indian Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) founder M.G. Ramachandran in bringing her into politics and preparing her for the throne.

Introducing her at a party rally in the early 1980s, MGR appointed her as a member of the Noon-Meal High Level Committee and quickly elevated her as the party propaganda secretary before sending her to the Rajya Sabha. He appointed tutors to train her and write her speeches; he also ensured that she was the lone star at all the party rallies she participated and even senior leaders had to play the second fiddle.

Jayalalitha told Thapar that the press have always been making uncharitable, unfair, unjustified remarks (and) comments without any basis. She would not be where she was today if only people believed all that the media said about her. "I couldn't have won a single election. I wouldn't be sitting where I am now. I'm sorry I agreed to this interview, that's all I can say."

When Thapar referred to her opposition to people of foreign origin ruling India, Jayalalitha refused to talk about the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi. "I don't want to discuss Mrs Gandhi in this interview," she said, bluntly.

Asked why, she retorted: "I have the choice to pick and choose the questions I want to answer. Its my democratic right. I don't have to answer every question you put to me. I don't wish to discuss Mrs Gandhi."

But Thapar persisted, telling her people could wonder why she did not want to talk about someone who was her ally in 1999 but against whom she publicly spoke later. If you have any other question, you may ask that. "I don't wish to answer this question," Jayalalitha shot back.

Not giving in, Thapar said the press said she turned against Sonia in 2003 to ingratiate herself with the BJP and now she was saying nice things about Sonia because she wishes to ingratiate herself with the Congress.

To this, Jayalalitha replied, "I have not said any such nice things. All that I said was I did not make any personal attacks and I have no reason to make any personal attacks. What happened during the parliamentary polls was an electoral confrontation and not a personal confrontation. My feelings on the issue of a person of foreign origin ruling the country are well known."

With Thapar pressing further whether her position remained unchanged that Sonia should not become Prime Minister, she said: "Yes, I am quite consistent. Not just Mrs Sonia Gandhi (but) any person of foreign origin. "

Asked why she reshuffled her Cabinet at least 15 times (16 times actually) in the past three years, she said: "That is my prerogative for administrative convenience. I know what I need to do for the good of the state. People deserved to be replaced if they failed to perform in their appointed positions. I cannot refrain from making a change simply because there will be carping criticism from persons in the media.

On the ways in which her MLAs and ministers prostrate themselves in public before her, she replied: "They prostrate before other political leaders. They prostrate before Mr Karunanidhi (DMK chief) too. His MLAs and MPs do that all the time, except that you choose not to notice it."

Asked to describe herself, Jayalalitha said she was a perfectly rational, sensible, sober, very responsible leader. "I can say with confidence that no other Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu's history worked so hard for the development and progress of the state as I have been doing and as I am doing. Once again, MGR has been ticked off!"

When questioned if she looked to the stars for advice, she replied, "who said that I believe in astrology and numerology? You say it. People in the media say it. What is the proof you have of that? "

Thapar then pointed out that she had changed the original spelling of her name three years ago adding an 'a' to it. "It's my prerogative to do so. I don't have to explain it. I don't have to explain anything to you for that matter. I changed the spelling of my name before I became the Chief Minister again. That's my prerogative."

- The Asian Age