Jayati Godhawat
JWB Blogger
Vaasanthi At JLF Day 1: “Now That Jayalalithaa Has Passed Away, I Have Got My Voice Back”
- JWB Post
- January 19, 2017
It’s the 10th year of Jaipur Literature festival, and the session, ‘The Enigma of Amma’ reinforced the whole idea of freedom of expression at JLF like no other.
The author of ‘Amma: Jayalalithaa’s Journey from Movie Star to Political Queen,’ Vaasanthi spoke about Jayalalithaa’s complex personality like never before.
She fearlessly claimed, “Now that Jayalalithaa has passed away, I have got my voice back.”
A renowned veteran journalist and writer, Vaasanthi has closely tracked Tamil Politics for many years. Approached by publishing house, Penguin India, she even wrote Jayalalithaa’s biography in 2011.
However, it was banned by the order of Court after Jayalalithaa filed the case against the biography just before its release.
“This permanent injunction on my book instilled so much fear in me that I couldn’t go to Tamil Nadu because I was scared of being assaulted by her (Jayalalithaa) men,” she told the moderator of the session Sudha Sadanand.
“It was a traumatic period for me,” she added.
Sudha Sadanand asked why Jayalalithaa was considered an unreliable ally by other political parties and Vaasanthi said with a smile, “Of course, she was a bad ally. She always wanted an upper hand. She was a dictator and liked to defeat others and claim victory.”
“The ambiguity between Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa has completely shaped the Tamil Politics. Becoming an ally to other political parties was always for her personal reasons,” she said.
Vaasanthi further revealed, “She shook hands with BJP only to force them to dismiss Karunanidhi.”
On Jayalalithaa being a recluse
Vaasanthi said, “She was cruel and an angry woman. She was very secretive about her personal life. I had only once interviewed her in 1984, in New Delhi. Later, when I went to Tamil Nadu, I used to fax her every day, requesting her to give an interview, but she refused. Even the people around her never spoke or revealed anything about her.”
“She had that effect of creating fear in people, be it in men or women,” she added.
On Jayalalithaa being a corrupt politician
“When you come to power, you realize how much money is required to stay in power. And, most politicians use the excuse of “Elections need money” to be corrupt,” said Vaasanthi.
On Jayalalithaa’s image as Amma
“The brand of Amma was a very well-thought political strategy. She transformed herself into a male world to become dominant. And, so, she created the cult of “Amma” which means the mother and the giver,” she claimed.
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