Suspense, anguish and anger

By Radha Venkatesan

CHENNAI, SEPT. 21. It was a day of intense political drama packed with almost all emotional ingredients - from suspense to anguish and anger in the ruling party camp and caution - mixed celebration in the opposition ranks.

Just minutes after the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on a batch of petitions challenging the appointment of Ms. Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister, around 10.45 a.m, an uneasy quiet descended on the normally bustling Fort. St.George - seat of power in Tamil Nadu.

As it became clear that Ms. Jayalalithaa had to step down, the Information and Publicity department ensured that she bowed out with a strong pro-woman image.

And, even as television channels flashed the verdict, the department released a statement by ``Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalithaa'' issuing orders for setting up of 126 new all-women police stations.

The day of suspense and speculation over ``who next'' unfolded as the few Ministers including Mr. C. Ponnaiyan, who had come to the Secretariat, immediately rushed to Ms. Jayalalithaa's Poes Garden residence.

The Speaker, Mr. K. Kalimuthu, who had also made a surprise appearance at the Secretariat, too immediately left.

Around noon, the scene shifted to Poes Garden where the Ministers, party MLAs and the Advocate-General, Mr. N.R. Chandran, wearing a mournful look, poured in.

The Backward Classes Minister, Mrs. Valarmathi Jebaraj, broke into sobs as she stepped out of her car and walked into Ms. Jayalalithaa's bungalow.

As a security cordon was thrown round Poes Garden, the AIADMK women and men wept, and amidst their sobs, abused the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee and the DMK president, Mr. M. Karunanidhi. Some blocked Radhakrishnan Salai leading to the Gopalapuram residence of Mr. Karunanidhi.

The Electricity Minister, Mr. D. Jayakumar, asked partymen to persuade the women to clear the road.

For more than a couple of hours after the court ruling, there was no official word on Ms. Jayalalithaa's plan of action.

Finally, just before she left for the Raj Bhavan from her residence, copies of Ms. Jayalalithaa's appeal to her partymen, laced with optimism of her returning to the Chief Ministerial office soon, were distributed to the waiting media personnel.

And, when she drove out of her Poes Garden residence, Ms. Jayalalithaa looked undeterred and waved, with her usual smile, to the weeping crowd of partymen.

At the Raj Bhavan too, she struck a note of robust optimism. ``I will be back as Chief Minister'', she insisted.

But she gave no hint of who her choice of the next Chief Minister was.

Demonstrations

Meanwhile, it was time for angry demonstrations at the AIADMK headquarters on Avvai Shanmugham Salai, where all Ministers and MLAs were summoned for a crucial meeting of the legislature party.

While the MLAs were waiting for Ms. Jayalalithaa's arrival, the partymen went berserk, thrashing effigies of Mr. Vajpayee with slippers and tearing them up.

When they attempted to set ablaze the effigies, senior partymen stepped in to prevent their doing so.

But the angry abuses against the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, and Mr. Karunanidhi continued, even as the party MLAs waited till the evening for the meeting to begin.

DMK shows restraint

The DMK put on a show of restraint with partymen and leaders seeking to make out as if the verdict was expected and there was nothing to celebrate.

But most senior leaders were present at the party headquarters from the morning, just as the verdict came in. Some leaders said they were continuing their ``strategy session'' for the local bodies elections and it had nothing to do with the day's developments.

TMC to stand by AIADMK

At the TMC headquarters, Sathyamurthy Bhavan, the president, Mr. G.K. Vasan, spent time meeting party workers and sympathisers, after making it clear that his party would stand by the AIADMK.

While the AIADMK's allies came on Jaya TV to express their solidarity, the Opposition leaders were featured on the rival Sun TV to explain the rationale behind the court judgment.

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