Jaya fired lines like AK-47

As a Rajya Sabha member, Jayalalithaa came prepared with her lines, and delivered them like ammunition from an AK-47. On several occasions, in my capacity as Central minister, it was my responsibility to face her explosive, staccato questions. Jayalalithaa was not just an astute politician but also an excellent parliamentarian. Her leadership qualities ensure a permanent place for her in Indian political history.

It can be argued Mamata and Mayawati have emerged on similar lines, but they don’t display her kind of will, ability and determination. Jayalalithaa held the reins of Tamil Nadu politics for a long time because of her exemplary qualities. She must have assumed she had the time to develop a second generation of leaders. But an untimely death has snatched her away.

I remember an event at Kolar Gold Fields, a Karnataka town with a predominant Tamil population. I had been invited in my capacity as industries minister. MGR and Jalayalithaa came to the event together.

When it came to the Cauvery dispute, I was in conflict with her. The arguments she presented on behalf of Tamil Nadu struck everyone as extraordinary. She was profoundly aware of the many facets of the dispute, and I observed from close quarters how she acted with sensitivity to protect her state’s interests.

Whenever we met, she spoke to me in Kannada. But the moment the Cauvery talks began, she would switch to English and maintain distance. She wouldn’t speak to us during the meeting, lest she melt and cause injustice to her state.

She firmly believed Cauvery belonged to her state. I have no clue on what she based this conviction. The Cauvery is born in Karnataka and flows here, yet Jayalalithaa blatantly propounded that it belongs to Tamil Nadu. She was always trying to use the 1924 agreement to vanquish Karantaka.

When G K Moopanar, the senior Congress leader, passed away, Pranab Mukherjee and I had travelled to Chennai to pay homage on behalf of the party. Jayalalithaa was there. Mukherjee and other leaders stood some distance away. Jayalalithaa, standing near where I was seated, spoke to me warmly in Kannada. ‘Krishna-avare, please ask them to come and sit here.’

Jayalalithaa, who appeared abrasive and unrelenting not just towards Karnataka but also within Tamil Nadu, was soft at heart. She shared a close relationship with the people of Mandya. Her roots are in my district. It is my duty to pay my special respects to her.

(The author is a former chief minister of Karnataka)