J Jayalalithaa, a political survivor loved by the people

A grieving supporter with a portrait of Ms Jayalalithaa. The late leader had introduced many welfare schemes and targeted women voters, recognising the power of this important voting bloc.
A grieving supporter with a portrait of Ms Jayalalithaa. The late leader had introduced many welfare schemes and targeted women voters, recognising the power of this important voting bloc. PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

NEW DELHI • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa was the ultimate political survivor in Indian politics.

In 2014, when Ms Jayalalithaa was briefly jailed following a graft conviction in an 18-year-old case and forced to resign, many thought she would not be able to bounce back. Instead, she came back even stronger.

Last year, she reclaimed her position after an acquittal in the graft case and returned to power on a wave of popularity, winning elections earlier this year.

"Jayalalithaa had many faults. She was accused of corruption, fanned sycophancy, and did not tolerate dissent. But she had this amazing identification with the people of Tamil Nadu, particularly with women. She ensured they had basic food and that food was given with dignity. That made her loved," said columnist and political commentator Neerja Chowdhury.

Ms Jayalalithaa was born in 1948 in Mysore, in Karnataka state, into a Brahmin family. Her father, a lawyer, died when she was two.

As a teenager, Ms Jayalalithaa wanted to study law. Instead, her actress mother got her started in acting when she was only 15.

Ms Jayalalithaa rose to be a popular teen actress, starring in dozens of films in different southern Indian languages, pushing boundaries by wearing knee-length skirts and sleeveless blouses, considered bold at the time in Tamil movies.

The Tamil movies in which she co-starred with Marudhur Gopalan Ramachandran - popularly known as MGR, a cultural and political icon in Tamil Nadu - remained among her most popular films.

MGR, who formed the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party, helped Ms Jayalalithaa transition from acting to politics when she was in her 30s.

After his death in 1987, she went on to successfully wrest control of the party from his widow. The former actress showed political astuteness, successfully cashing in on MGR's popularity, uniting warring factions, and building a personality cult around herself that grew as she introduced many welfare schemes and freebies.

She targeted women voters, recognising early on the power of this important voting bloc. To curb female infanticide, she introduced a scheme in which unwanted baby girls could be left in cradles outside welfare centres. She set up all-women police stations and gave 8g of gold to new brides.

Yet, she refused to allow a second or third-rung leadership in her party and faced allegations that her wealth far exceeded her income. Investigators found 10,000 saris, 750 pairs of shoes and jewellery in one raid.

Many ministers were scared to take any decisions, and she would often rely on bureaucrats to carry out her work. Though articulate, she rarely gave interviews and was an intensely private person.

Often called a potential prime ministerial candidate, she remained rooted in state politics. In the 2014 elections, her party emerged as the third-largest, with 37 MPs in the national Parliament.

"Probably if the (Narendra) Modi phenomenon had not swept the country in 2014, she would have been a bigger player in national politics. She made strategic mistakes early on," said Professor Ramu Manivannan, a political analyst at Madras University. "For instance, she pulled out of the National Democratic Alliance government in 1999 and she never recovered or came back into the fold of national politics after that," he said. "She was always a force to reckon with. Nobody can take away the fact."

Nirmala Ganapathy

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 07, 2016, with the headline J Jayalalithaa, a political survivor loved by the people. Subscribe