Time for Revenge: The sequel, directed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, who also plays the lead, and now re-releasing in Tamil Nadu. Nothing as dramatic as part one, where the AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa got the police to barge into DMK leader M. Karunanidhi’s house in the dead of night and drag him to jail, but it does have the makings of an engaging drama. This time, it looks like the BJP, also playing a part in the unfolding drama, will act “not unduly bothered” considering their favours are tilting towards the leading lady. ‘BJP, DMK may renew ties’ CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu BJP general secretary L. Ganesan on Sunday said that the BJP and DMK might renew their ties in the state soon. However, there was no move from either side to hold talks, he said. Ganesan said that the BJP was ‘‘free’’ to treat a neutral path. Regarding the one man-one post bill vis-a-vis Chennai mayor Stalin and another one to to remove financial and administrative powers from him, Ganesan said that his party would oppose the bills. (ENS) First, there is her introduction of a new law to bar an MLA from holding any other post, a law entirely aimed at clipping Chennai Mayor and Karunanidhi’s son M.K. Stalin’s wings because when the law comes into force, it’s either MLA or mayor for him. The plot thickens as a bill has already been introduced in the Assembly which effectively takes away the financial powers of mayors. In a sub-plot, yesterday, the Jaya government transferred 32 judges including the one who convicted her in the Tansi corruption case and the other who pulled up the police for the way they arrested enemy number one, Karunanidhi. Now, at the national level, the BJP doesn’t seem to mind at all — nothing patently illegal about these laws and transfers, they say. They argue that the state government is well within its rights to transfer judges or bring in new laws. In stark contrast to this indifference, in the original, the NDA government had even threatened to invoke Article 356 on Tamil Nadu in the aftermath of the DMK chief’s arrest. The BJP’s cool attitude towards the DMK complements Jayalalithaa’s all-out overtures to make peace with it. Her actions fit in with the BJP’s scheme of things be it on the Ayodhya issue, the Gujarat violence, or POTA. More recently, the Tamil Nadu BJP was very pleased with her Annadhaanam scheme for feeding poor Hindu devotees in temples. Several party leaders were present at the function when she launched it, unmindful of the fact that it would annoy the DMK, physically still with the NDA at the Centre but mentally out of it. ‘‘There is nothing ignoble about doing something good for devotees in temples. How can anybody expect the Centre to object?’’ said one of them. To make the BJP happier, Jayalalithaa even threw out some of her own party-men who stormed a BJP office in Chennai and damaged property recently.
