How Jayalalithaa hospital video will impact RK Nagar by-poll
An election in RK Nagar, going by its immediate record in 2017, is anything but a gentleman's game. The match is fixed by paying money to the voters, who too demand it as a matter of right. The rate is more than inflation-adjusted, reportedly moving from Rs 4000 for a vote in April to Rs 6000 now in December. The umpire - the Election Commission - may or may not rescind the poll, even if the circumstances are the same, if not worse.
Which is why TTV Dhinakaran's beamer in the form of an undated 20-second video of J Jayalalithaa in Apollo Hospitals, is hardly surprising. It falls in the same category of unethical politics that has been practised by most political parties in the constituency. Clearly, everything is fair in the war for RK Nagar.
Dhinakaran had clearly reserved his lethal weapon for the last. He knew the video showing the late chief minister undergoing treatment in hospital, watching TV and sipping juice from a glass, would puncture the conspiracy theories the likes of O Panneerselvam have spread since February. The needle of suspicion since Jayalalithaa's death last December has pointed towards VK Sasikala, with insinuations that she had a hand in her death, gaining a life of their own through WhatsApp forwards. That had made Sasikala a much-reviled figure, especially among women, and the video was her path to redemption. So Dhinakaran's hope was that by repairing his aunt's image, his political stock too would go up on election eve.
Except that it did not quite pan out that way. There was much shock by the public at large at the crassness of the decision to release the video for political gain. And rightly so. Dhinakaran himself on many occasions, had alluded to the video in his possession which he said would prove Sasikala's innocence. But he refused to release it in public, arguing Jayalalithaa was wearing night clothes and she would have never liked to be seen by the world outside in that attire. That goes to show that pushed to the wall in RK Nagar, Dhinakaran was willing to compromise his political mentor's sense of self-respect. That too, when she is no more.
This sentiment from the people could cost Dhinakaran dear. Except that RK Nagar is not like any other constituency. Money speaks the loudest here and given that Dhinakaran is known to have loosened the purse strings over the last 10 days, just like the AIADMK, could still make him a force to reckon with.
What Dhinakaran has managed to do is rattle the AIADMK. Senior ministers were drafted to criticise him, but none of them raised doubts about the authenticity of the video, an indication that they knew the video had settled the debate.
It is the Election Commission's reaction that has caused much consternation. It has defined the video as "election matter" and therefore, banned its telecast on any TV channel. The diktat came pretty late because by then, the video had gone viral over WhatsApp. But if the content of the video makes no reference to the election or ask the voter to plump for Dhinakaran, how can it be labelled as "election matter".
And if the video is expected to influence the voter, how is the EC blind to the 2G verdict that is expected to be announced at 10.30am on 21 December, when the voting process will be on. Should it go against DMK leaders, A Raja and Kanimozhi, it could certainly impact the DMK's fortunes in RK Nagar.
And how is the EC less bothered about Rs 100 crore worth of bribes, according to estimates, that have been distributed among the 2.2 lakh voters of RK Nagar. And if cash for votes was the reason for the bypoll to be rescinded in summer, how is it that bribing is acceptable in winter.
Jayalalithaa's video then has become the "X-factor" in the RK Nagar by-election. It is anyone's guess how the voters will react to the latest twist in the political saga, that is proof there is never a dull moment in Tamil Nadu politics.
Sasikala came into Jayalalithaa's life as a video rental parlour owner and would videograph her public meetings, when the latter was a Rajya Sabha MP in the 1980s.
More than three decades later, Sasikala has ironically fallen back on a video-recording to prove she had no role to play in Jayalalithaa's death. She will know if the video worked for her on Sunday (December 24), when the results of the election will be announced.
Also read: Why voters see RK Nagar by-poll as a money-making opportunity