Tamil Nadu has generally played a big role in the formation of coalition governments at the Centre for nearly 15 years now, and the size and scale of the victory of the AIADMK in the assembly elections recently—and the current shape and state of the Congress, BJP and Left—has put plenty of fuel in the political tank of Jayalalitha Jayaram.
Suddenly, the controversial Mysore-born actor-turned-politician is holding all the cards as both the main parties bend backwards to woo her. For someone whose sole agenda till last month was dislodging the DMK government of M. Karunanidhi, she is now holding forth on national and international issues in a manner born.
In an interview with Arnab Goswami of Times Now yesterday, the Puratchi Thalaivi offered plenty of insight of how she views her enhanced role on the national stage, cryptically suggesting that “anything can happen before 2014″, meaning she could go either way or her own way, or that there could even be a mid-term election before 2014.
Since anything is possible in politics, as the sad cliche goes to explain H.D Deve Gowda becoming prime minister, is it also possible that Jayalalitha, if she stays away from both the two main formulations, could well end up heading the third front? And, if that is the case, could namma hudugi well emerge as a prime ministerial face?
Could her face, voice and demeanour, not to mention the fact that she is a woman, attract voters? Will she gain acceptance across the nation or will her confrontational style put off coalition partners? Could she be a better bet than whoever the Congress and BJP decide to go with? Or is she counting her vada maangas before they pickle?
Tags: AIADMK, Arnab Goswami, BJP, Churumuri, Congress, DMK, H D Deve Gowda, Jayalalitha, Jayalalitha Jayaram, Jayalalithaa, M. Karunanidhi, Puratchi Thalaivi, Sans Serif, Times Now
28 June 2011 at 3:22 pm
How could highly & most corrupt women of the world could be a P.M. mwterial?
India is already fed up with DUMMY & INACTIVE P.M. & can not efford aerogent,corrupt & dictator like Jay Lalita.
Suneel Sardana
28 June 2011 at 3:47 pm
Better to be ruled by a whimsical despotic lady with a clear vision, than an impotent slave.
28 June 2011 at 4:48 pm
@Deepak So said the Nazis about hitler
28 June 2011 at 5:23 pm
Between an inheritor (Rahul Gandhi) who knows nothing of failure and an upstart (Narendra Modi) whose success is built on the blood of human beings, a fair, good-looking woman who can speak a few languages and has tasted both victory and defeat on her own steam is certainly a far better choice. Better than Devegowda for sure, if only she can win all 39 seats.
28 June 2011 at 5:27 pm
If Deve gowda can be PM. If Manmohan Singh, who has never fought an election, can be PM. if a “prince” of the country is already PM material. Then why not J Jayalalitha.
She certainly more politically and culturally capable as compared to Gowda, Singh or the prince. She is PM material to my mind. I am sure she will do a much better job than most PMs since independence.
Narshima Rao is the only good PM that India has had since independence. Perhaps Jayalalitha can be equal to Rao. Who knows? At least, she will be an elected PM and not an nominated one.
28 June 2011 at 5:57 pm
It is a bit naive to believe that she is “namma hudugi.” Jaya is nobody’s woman!
On another note, in her fher interviews published, she seems to be of clear thinking and an excellent command over the Queen’s tongue.
28 June 2011 at 6:41 pm
It depends on what one would consider PM material. Is it the pedigree of the person? Is it charisma? Is it toughness? Is it ambition? Is it scholarship? Is it education? Is it political or administrative experience? Is it loyalty? Is it grassroots support? Is it electoral clout? Or is it the likelihood of someone not being a troublemaker to the power blocs?
28 June 2011 at 7:53 pm
why not?
all the rest are worse than her.
28 June 2011 at 10:36 pm
Mysore Peshva,
Her English speaking skills possibly has a Bangalore connection: she went to Bishop Cottons school while she was here (and later Sacred heart/stella maris in Chennai).
28 June 2011 at 10:37 pm
I am eagerly waiting for this “Great Wall of Chennai” to become the PM in 2014, and also watch the tussle she had with Janaki Ramachandran during MGR’s funeral procession rerun on TV. She actually pulled down Mrs.Ramachandran, from the military truck by her hair and climbed on the truck to pose beside the dead body of MGR.
This glorious act of her, alone can qualify her to be the future PM all other qualifications be damned.
29 June 2011 at 12:37 am
She perhaps would be a very good PM material if she can get her acts straight and stop being corrupt. A seasoned journalist like Mr. Kushwant Singh admired her for her language and capability when she was a member of the parliament and used to visit him and his family in New Delhi. It is not easy for someone like him to pass accolades if she is not good. She seems to be quite assertive in her fights. As long as she comes out of the present mold and works in the interest of the country, I have no doubt she will make a good prime minister. She would be better and capable than any member of the dynasty we have had. I am sure she is poles apart from our Mannina Maga in every way!
29 June 2011 at 6:42 am
Her first act will be to nationalize namma Kaveri. We can then kiss our hopes of improving urban water supply goodbye.
29 June 2011 at 8:46 am
Can’t be any worse than useless puppet Singh or clueless Amul Baby Yuvraj Rahul or ‘umble farmer Gowda.
29 June 2011 at 10:33 am
@PRS
Narendra Modi an upstart??? LoL. You need help.
29 June 2011 at 11:31 am
Jayalalitha is definitely PM material. I am not sure that she will do much about corruption, though, which is the number one issue that needs action today. She is herself tainted by corruption.
The other issue is of course namma Kaveri, as G3S said. Karnataka will get short shrift from her on this issue.
But I think she will be able to deal sternly with Papistan and China, which is a great thing for India. Right now there is nobody who is willing to stand up to these scum in our neighbourhood.
Finally, she is not pseudo secular. She will see minority appeasement for what it is and will not hesitate to act against anti-national elements in those breeding grounds of terror in Muslim-dominated areas. She will also act unhesitatingly against the evil practice of religious conversion.
29 June 2011 at 12:10 pm
“Could her face, voice and demeanour, not to mention the fact that she is a woman, attract voters?” This statement is cheap and unbecoming of Churumuri.
29 June 2011 at 12:28 pm
Look at our desperation- what a pathetic lot we are- even the Hebrews in Egypt had more faith that a deliverer would come.
I for one would enjoy a three way wresting match between Jayalalitha, Sonia and Sushma Swaraj!
29 June 2011 at 12:49 pm
The Brahmin lobby at work again:)
29 June 2011 at 8:51 pm
>>A seasoned journalist like Mr. Kushwant Singh admired her for her language and capability when she was a member of the parliament and used to visit him and his family in New Delhi. It is not easy for someone like him to pass accolades if she is not good.>>
You must be joking about Kushwant Singh
29 June 2011 at 9:11 pm
>Finally, she is not pseudo secular. She will see minority
> appeasement for what it is and will not hesitate to act against
>anti-national elements
Nope not anymore. Our First Lady has got her in control. Else you wouldn’t have seen the Kanchi Acharya dragged to jail on Deepawali during her term.
29 June 2011 at 10:02 pm
PM material or not JJ is construction material of the corrupt pillar kind! I shudder to think of even the remote possibility that she could be PM one day. Despite her ‘command of Queen’s tongue’, a peculiar construct deployed by Peshavan, she is at best suited to run Fort St George with lungi-lackeys prostrating themselves while licking her feet. Some of the posters here can join the queue in Chennai and probably get their free wet grinders after meeting with her. I would like to see Arun Jaitley as the next PM of India.
1 July 2011 at 3:44 am
@D Buddi,
Yen saar, Jaitley avrna PM madi Reddy Bros na central cabinet ministers madakke sakathagi sketch hakidira!!
( Sushma aunty said (then) “prabhari” Jaitley was responsible for ‘uprising’ of Reddy Bros?! If aunty says you should believe so)