Jayalalithaa’s 100 day reign in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: Today, her AIADMK completed 100 days of government for the third time. This time, Jayalalithaa is not concentrating on her opposition DMK leader, Karunanidhi. She is trying to fulfill her election promises like, the bringing land grabbers to book and making allocations for welfare schemes. She has also begun a debate on national issues on “the Central proposed Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill and the Goods and Services Tax Bill.”

"She is more friendly and cautious and has had a good beginning," said Prof Ramu Manivannan, head of department, public administration and political science, Madras University. In 2001, when Jayalalithaa sworn as the Chief Minister, she put Karunanidhi & his sons into the jail to get even for her own jail stint.

This time since, May 16, when Jaya handled the chair of CM, she is working strongly on the illegal land grabbing, & putting the DMK ministers & their musclemen in the jails to teach them a good lesson. Over the last five years, the DMK leaders had occupied many acres of land allegedly. Almost 8, 000 cases have been registered by the police from the people all over the state of alleging land grab.

Prof KR Shanmugam of Madras School of Economics said Jayalalithaa has begun well by tackling the immediate problems of power and agriculture, going by the massive allocations. "Already power cuts have come down," he said. Manivannan said that, on a national level, she is preparing for a bigger role. This is possible to have a very positive relationship between Jaya & the UPA government in taking major steps against the DMK leader Karunanidhi & his daughter, Kanimozhi.

Accordingly, Jayalalithaa has desisted from attacking the Congress, focusing instead on issues. She has written to her Uttar Pradesh counterpart Mayawati, asking her to oppose the "anti-federal" Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill, 2011. She has asked non-Congress chief ministers to fight the Centre on the proposed Goods and Services Tax Bill. On Monday, she wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accusing the Centre of usurping states’ powers.

On the flick side, she has slipped up on the education policy, trying to wisp the common syllabus for schools initiated by the DMK government, said political analyst Gnani Sankaran. "Also, the free sample trap will hit the funds meant for development." Her decision to turn the new assembly and secretariat complex into a hospital has already drawn denigration from the opposition, with Karunanidhi christen her government the "Tughlaq Durbar".