On the Sri Lankan issue, even though TNCC president K V Thangabalu got bamboozled into becoming,well, party to the all party resolution of October 14 that threatened the resignation of all MPs unless the centre ensured a ceasefire in Sri Lanka, Karunanidhi is far fromestablishing himself as the protector of all Tamils. In fact, his plaintive cry is that he's ready to quit because beyond ensuring that nearly Rs 15 crore of supplies was sent to Tamil brethren, he has been able to do precious little. On the other hand, Vaiko has added to his pro-LTTE credentials by spending more jail timeearning many brownie points.
Ramadoss' dilemma is also that he had to deal with the ego of AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha. And that was difficult considering that he himself is considered a megalomaniac. He's biding his time but the signs are there-- for instance, he's not using the DMK or its chief for target practice. Instead he's picking on actor turned politician Viajaykanth and dispensing advice tothe superstar Rajnikanth who cannot make up his mind about politics. But it's just a matter of time. Or as politicians love to say "it'll happen at the appropriate time."
The Acorn Does Not Fall Far From The Tree
Like father, like son. Chip of the old block. These are expressions used when a son blazes trails like his father. But in the case of the Saravana Bhavan father and son duo, it might be appropriate to say the acorn does not fall far from the tree. In 2001, P Rajagopal was arrested in connection with the murder of one of his employees, Shantakumar. The local press had a field day projecting him as a philanderer and that he coveted his employees' wives. The whole controversy was played out when it became known that the murdered employee's wife, Jeevajyoti, went to the police commissioner and complained that Rajagopal was stalking her. Rajagopal was convicted in 2004 for the murder of Shantakumar and was sentencd to 10 years in jail and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 50 lakhs. He subsequently went in appeal and is currently out on bail. Now it transpires that Rajagopal, while in Trichy jail, almost got beaten up by other inmatesfor telling them he was "not a criminal like you." Prison officials had to intervene and rescue him from the angry inmates.
Now family and friends of Saravana MD P R Shivakumar have been sending feelers to police officials saying they are worried about his safety in the prison. Shivakumar was denied bail in the human trafficking case against him. He was arrested for producing forged documents to obtain visas for four of his cooks, following a complaint by the American consulate. Shivakumar heads the overseas operation of the hotel chain which has over 20 outlets abroad including in the US, UK, the Gulf and Malaysia.