TN ministers seek divine help for Jaya's return

With the day of judgement well nigh, ministers in the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu are appeasing the gods in all possible ways in the hope that party chief J Jayalalitha will be acquitted by the Karnataka High Court in the disproportionate assets case.

The extreme ways of seeking divine intervention by the ministers for “Amma's” comeback include carrying hot clay pots, body piercing and gruelling ‘padayatras’.

Even certain senior AIADMK leaders, who hold Cabinet berths, are spending big money to conduct prayers for Amma’s return. They have been bringing elephants from Kerala for the purpose of ‘yagas’ and offering thousands of litres of milk to various deities daily. 

Jayalalitha was convicted in a disproportionate assets case last September and lost her MLA post. 

Revenue Minister R B Udayakumar, who has not had a shave since his leader got convicted, led a team that included Sports and Youth Welfare minister S Sundararaj on a 70-km padayatra in Ramanathapuram district. They carried “kavadi”, a heavy physical burden, in the hope that it will enable Jaya’s return.

As part of various rituals, five elephants were made to stand in front of a ‘yaga’ venue in Coimbatore district, organised by the State municipal administration minister SP Velumani. “We have also organised special poojas in more than 3,000 temples across the state,” Velumani said.