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N Sathiya Moorthy in Madras
By promising a corruption-free government "the likes of which have not been seen", Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and All India Anna DMK chief Jayalalitha has rekindled the collective hopes of millions of people in the state.
She also seems to have learnt from her past mistakes, for she has promised to work closely with the Centre for the greater good of Tamil Nadu.
"There will be no political revenge," Jayalalitha told newsmen at her first press conference after assuming office as chief minister on Monday night.
"However, the guilty would be punished," she declared, without referring to her election-eve charge of the 'Karunanidhi family' having made Rs 50,000 million while in power.
Only a day earlier, Jayalalitha had declared that she would not adopt a confrontationist posture vis a vis the Centre.
Jayalalitha's earlier innings as chief minister was marked by the AIADMK taking on the minority Congress government of Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao at the Centre. She even got the then state Congress president Vazhappadi K Ramamurthy to quit the Rao ministry.
Overwhelmed by the faith that the voter has reposed in her despite her conviction in a corruption case, Jayalalitha seems to be drawing inspiration from her political mentor, the late M G Ramachandran, who was known for his non-adversarial approach towards the Centre.
In Jayalalitha's case, her pending cases, three of which involve Central agencies, should be an additional reason to maintain a harmonious relationship with Delhi.
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