She ruled the hearts as an actress and ruled hearts as a political leader and pretty much ran a one woman party for several years now. Jayalalitha has been convicted today in a disproportionate assets case and will have to spend 4 years in jail and pay Rs. 100 crores in fines. Yes she will appeal, we don’t know where it will finally go, but a powerful politician being convicted says a lot about our judicial system.
I just wonder why Jayalalitha got herself into this situation – she had everything going for her. She was comfortably rich, didn’t need any money through corrupt means really to manage her lifestyle and yet she gets caught for having assets that are disproportionate to her known sources of income.
There are many who probably don’t see beyond the obese woman wearing a cloak … You would not know the intelligence behind those glasses, the stunning beauty behind the layers of clothes and fat, a fearless woman and a life story of not living the life of her choice :(. She was a brilliant student and wanted to continue her studies, but was forced into films. The great MGR then inducted her into AIADMK … Maybe out of her choice or again without her choice. She speaks several languages fluently, is very well read and can be an amazing administrator if she chose to do that. For e.g, if today Chennai doesn’t have queues for water, it’s because of her rain water harvesting campaign.
What went wrong ? Who misguided her ? Today’s conviction is not just for Jayalalitha to introspect, but a time for everyone in power to introspect. Power is a great responsibility, and an opportunity to work for others – if one forgets that, one goes astray. I am sad for Jayalalitha, I like her, as a woman she faced up to so many challenges and prevailed, but couldn’t stop herself from misusing her power. Hope she comes to terms with her inner demons and learns her lessons ….
Her opponents are no saints, and their sins will hopefully catch up with them too, to be fair. But tonight will be a tough night for Jayalalitha. May she find the right answers and the right road ahead.