Chennai Corner

‘Star Wars III’

Beleaguered by the power crisis, the other problems of statecraft and still dealing with the “betrayal” of former friend Sasikala Natarajan, CM Jayalalitha could have used some good news. And it has come from William J Antholis, managing director, The Brookings Institution, which normally does not write articles on an Indian political leader, leave alone a regional one. He had fulsome praise for Jayalalitha in an article, posted on its website. “By all accounts, the chief minister possesses a sharp mind, and prides herself on asking hard questions, making quick (though not impulsive) decisions, and being a prudent administrator.” There are people who might disagree with the part about her not being impulsive, but many, including her critics, do say that she has a “quick grasp and asks incisive questions.”

“If Jayalalitha’s grandstanding were all theatrics, it might be bad for Tamil Nadu. But, in fact, she seems committed to making a difference,” the article said. And how does the author who visited TN in 2001, come to this conclusion? He says, “She surprised many in 2011 by actually raising bus and milk prices. She has committed to increases in education spending, including providing laptops for all students in 10th-12th grade.” Again her detractors, chiefly DMK chief Karunanidhi, will quibble and point to her reversing of all his policies even if it has meant wastage of tax payer’s money.

With Karunanidhi being constantly sarcastic about her and her filmi background, she might feel vindicated with this remark. “If a movie were to be made about today’s politics in Tamil Nadu, it might be called: ‘Star Wars III: Jayalalitha Strikes Back’.” And a word of advice: “If the legacy of ‘Jayalalitha III’ really is going to be that of good governance, she will have to do something few Indian political leaders have done.” It seems difficult to imagine that now because there is a perception that all she has done is unleash vendetta against her rivals and remain inaccessible to people and even her officers. But one thing she cannot be accused of – remember the mother of all marriages she conducted of her “foster son” in her first reign when she spent Rs 100 crore (according to Karunanidhi) – is splashing money. Those days are well and truly behind her.

Frugal is the Fashion

After the excess one witnessed when birthdays of the then first family came round, this year the fashion statement is to tone it down. Aware that people were fed up with extravaganzas, which were even witnessed at the marriage of Dayanidhi Azhagiri (son of union minister M K Azhagiri) and at the Coimbatore World Classical Tamil Conference two years ago (when Karunanidhi’s family members swished in silk and dripped diamonds), the Karunanidhi family is making a virtue of necessity. Besides, they have to perforce follow Jayalalitha whose birthday went off on February 24 without the fuss, frills and frivolity usually associated with her birthday.

Yes, college girls from St Mary’s College wore a mask of her face and formed 64 (her age), school toppers were deployed for a procession to wish amma, saplings were planted and many of her ministers got themselves a photo-op distributing sarees and dhotis but there were no cashew nut or currency garlands. Amma knows better than to incense people already angry about the power cuts at a time when the mercury is beginning to rise.

Azhagiri chose to celebrate his birthday last month soberly too. Now his brother and former deputy CM Stalin has signalled his cadre to do the same thing. His reason is that there is nothing to celebrate with the “deteriorating” law and order situation and the hike in bus fares and milk prices. He is also cavilling at Jayalalitha “withdrawing all the DMK government’s welfare schemes”. His diktat to cadres is, “I firmly ask you not to celebrate my birthday. Partymen who love me, can however observe the day as Ilaignar Ezhuchi Naal (Youth Awakening Day) and distribute welfare assistance to the poor and downtrodden.” So, even if it is lip service, politicians want to put the poor first.

Powerless in TN

In the euphoria surrounding her coming back to power, CM Jayalalitha made what seems like a rash promise. That Tamil Nadu would have no power problems by August 2012. Now reality has kicked in. The demand in the state is between 11,500 MW and 12,500 MW, but it is able to supply only 8,500 MW. After nine months as CM, the one hour of load shedding that was in force for the last several months everyday has become two hours starting this week. Outside Chennai it’s worse because rural areas are powerless for four hours. There are also innumerable unscheduled power cuts apart from electricity being switched off by turn in different areas of the city from 9 am to 5 pm under the guise of “maintenance”. In addition, 40 per cent power cut has been imposed to all industrial and commercial consumers.

Jayalalitha has blamed the previous DMK regime for barely adding power during its rule and handing her government the legacy of a Rs 40,000 crore debt. “(In) The previous DMK regime, steps were taken to generate only 206 MW and it failed to commission some of the power projects announced by AIADMK during 2001-2006,” she said justifying the load shedding. Also since the DMK government did not take steps for long-term procurement, TN was not able to buy power from other states due to congestion in the transmission corridor. TN is getting only 235 MW from Gujarat as against its agreement of 500 MW due to the congestion, she said.

Karunanidhi Defends

Karunanidhi was sarcastic about Jayalalitha’s promise that cuts would go by August. “Her words are now hitting back at her,” he said. Defending his government, he referred to the budget speech of finance minister O Paneerselvam. “He mentioned that new power generation projects would yield 3,280 mw of power in 2011-12. This refers to the projects taken up during the DMK regime and not in the current AIADMK rule.” he said.

But Karunaidhi has also been criticized for the acute power shortage by the Convenor of anti-Koodankulam protests, S P Udayakumar. “Karunanidhi was CM for five years. He should have realised what the demand would be in the future and should have devised policies accordingly,” he says.

Dr.R.S.Lal Mohan, who is an anti-nuke activist, says: “Successive governments are giving out freebies. If the DMK gave free pumpsets, then Jayalalitha is giving out mixers and grinders.” Thus while the consumption of electricity has zoomed up nothing has been done about adding power. Also nothing has been done about transmission losses (which is about 20 per cent) resulting from old lines and transmitters, not to mention stealing. In addition, sources like wind energy have not been stepped up. Incidentally, really poor people in the city pay a fat rate of upto Rs 500 for “current” when they rent houses, which is more than what an average middle class family sometimes pays! So much for helping the poor.

And the irony is that in the Sankarankoil assembly constituency bypoll (scheduled for March 18), one of the DMK’s campaign plank is the power crisis in the state.!

Lady with the Genset!

Now as schools, parents and students are stressed out about how they will get through another exam season being powerless, the CM has made another expansive promise. “To ensure class 10 and plus-two students appearing for public examination are not affected by the load shedding being implemented by Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, the state will take steps to provide uninterrupted power supply to government high and higher secondary schools. If this is not possible, the government will rent gensets,” she said. Jayalalithaa has promised that the government would compensate the expense incurred by aided and private schools hiring gensets. Never mind that many government schools are short on infrastructure, bringing light into the lives of people brings the votes.

Private and public schools are sceptical of the CM’s promise. Says Sami Sathyamurthy, state general secretary of the TN high and higher secondary school headmasters’ association, “There are about 2,500 government higher secondary schools and about 3,000 government high schools in the state. The decision to provide generators is practically impossible.” His suggestion is that the government should ensure uninterrupted power supply for at least 15 days from March 19 when the practical exam for Class 10 starts. Sathyamurthy, who is also the headmaster of a Pudukottai government school, suggests also that there should be uninterrupted power in the night because that’s when students study.

But Dr N Vijayan, general secretary, Federation of Matriculation Schools, has welcomed the CM’s idea provided it is used judiciously! “Even in our school, the generator is used only in labs,” he says. But in the private domain Big Brother is always watching whereas in government institutions who is? ‘What goes of my father’ is the logic!