Jayalalithaa wakes up late

After the complete rout Jayalalithaa faced in the parliamentary elections 2004, with an eye on Tamil Nadu assembly elections in 2006, Jayalalithaa has announced the following:

1. An ordinance to repeal the Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religious Ordinance, 2002 (promulgated on 10th October 2002) will be passed shortly.
2. All punishments meted out to Government employees and school teachers revoked.
3. All cases filed under TESMA against DMK, Congress (I), and the communist party leaders will be withdrawn.
4. AIADMK Govt. will move a resolution in the assembly to drop the privilege proceedings against The Hindu and Murasoli.
5. Electricity will be free to all farmers, irrespective of their land holding. The state Govt. will reimburse the State Electricity Board the costs incurred.

What a mighty fall it was for the supreme leader? Of the above list, with the exception of the electricity subsidies, the rest were entirely flimsy and imposed on the victims by an inflated ego and a vengeance streak. She cannot redeem herself with this fallback. It would be easy for anyone to see through this charade.

The worrying thing is, any kind of sensible reform in the state government machinery has been set back by several years.

There are several things still to be addressed. Here is a partial list:

1. Withdrawal of POTA against Vaiko, though now it is in the hands of the public prosecutor. Perhaps POTA itself may be repealed.
2. Re-instatement of the kannaki statue, and a honest explanation of what really went on behind the scenes.
3. A statement on why Queen Mary's College was chosen for demolition.
4. Stopping the attempt to build the new secretariat in Kotturpuram, Anna University Campus, and perhaps shift it to Mahabalipuram.
5. Perhaps, rebuilding Seerani Arangam.

I should look through the list of her inexplicable misdeeds to find out what else she should be doing. Doing all of that would still not absolve her of the last three years of misrule.