“Can a mortal punish God” asked a poster kept at a venue here where members of the film industry observed a fast against the conviction of the former Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa.
“Can God be at the mercy of a human being for bail?” countered a rhetorical poser by an anti-AIADMK group on Facebook. Ever since Ms. Jayalalithaa’s conviction, the entire State has been witnessing demonstrations, protests, human chain formations, besides an unprecedented number of posters with messages criticising the judgment.
On Saturday, when AIADMK MLAs observed a fast, a poster on the pedestal of the ‘Truimph of Labour’ statue on the Marina, declared with an out-of-the box tinge that Ms. Jayalalithaa would become the Chief Minister of even Karnataka if her detention continued.
“Beware dry leaves! You have kept fire in jail. If you free her today, she will be the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. If her detention is prolonged, she will also become the Chief Minister of Karnataka,” it said in a play of words. Of course, there are also posters with humble messages. “You keep Cauvery [waters] with you. Give me Amma,” a poster makes a crying baby say alongside a picture of Ms. Jayalalithaa, yearning for the ‘Mother’ to come back.
C. Lakshmanan, Professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS) said the situation in Tamil Nadu, a land of the rationalist movement, had come to such pass, that there was need for a total re-evaluation of Dravidian politics. “Putting up posters and cutouts were attention-seeking methods adopted by lower level functionaries and the leaders keen on building a cult image for themselves encouraged them,” said Mr Lakshmanan, who did his doctorate on ‘Personality Cult in Tamil Nadu Politics: Study of the Culture of Dravidian Politics’.
It was strange that while other States remained relatively calm when political leaders were sent to jail on corruption charges, the ‘self-respect politics’ of Tamil Nadu seemed to have regressed to feudal culture.
“I agree that the Dravidian movement empowered people in the lower rungs of society. After tasting power, Dravidian leaders sought to encourage patron-client type of relationship in politics,” he said, adding that the freebies were the result of such politics. Verily, these latest posters have given food for thought to many.
