Jayalalithaa’s ‘river of fire’
Dear Sir,  
Indian politician Jayalalithaa, who was the chief minister of the southern Tamil Nadu state until her arrest in a disproportionate assets case last month, has said after her release on bail the other day: “My public life is like swimming through a river of fire” (Gulf Times, October 20).
Is that “river of fire” streaming through Poes Garden, Jayalalithaa’s opulent residence in Chennai, Tamil Nadu’s capital?
And pray, how billions of dollars/rupees of wealth can be generated by swimming through that river?
The petition filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against Jayalalithaa almost 18 years ago alleged that she had accumulated a disproportionate amount of assets during her tenure as chief minister from 1991 to 1996. She had majestically declared that her monthly salary as the state’s chief minister would be just 1 rupee! So the  “disproportionate” assets may not have been earned through her meagre salary. She had enough time (18 years) to prove her innocence before court but she had failed obviously because of the evidence against her.
It is true that the case against Jayalalithaa was politically motivated but why had she failed to prove her innocence? Has she been too poor to hire a lawyer?
Jayalalithaa’s assets worth Rs666.5mn may not be a colossal sum as far as some top politicians are concerned, but once they are exposed and legally challenged, it becomes the primary obligation of a public worker to prove that they are not corrupt.
Jayalalithaa was found guilty by the court through proceedings lasting 18 years and still dozens of people in Tamil Nadu had rushed forward to give up their lives in protest at the verdict and to show sympathy with the convict! It shows why some politicians in India dare to misappropriate public funds to amass private wealth. Public support for them is guaranteed!
The influence of films on Tamil Nadu politics is well known. The screen heroes often enter politics and reach top positions, aided by their fans’ adulation  and blind support. Jayalalithaa, a film star of yesteryears, is a typical example.
And just imagine it is the same Tamil Nadu which once produced political stalwarts like Kamaraj, Annadurai, Ramaswamy Naicker, etc. We, it is said, get the leaders we deserve!

K K  Nazimudeen
PO Box No 441
Doha