Saturday would have been the fourth anniversary of the Jayalalithaa Government had she not been convicted and sentenced by the Bangalore Special Court in September last year in connection with the Rs66 crore disproportionate asset case. The sentencing, however, left a tragic trail between September 27, 2014 and May 10, 2015: As many as 244 people committed suicide. “Most of the people who committed suicide were from poor families. There were people from middle class and upper middle class families also. The suicides were a spontaneous action,” CR Saraswathi, AIADMK spokesperson, told The Pioneer. According to Saraswathi, the AIADMK under the orders of Jayalalithaa disbursed Rs7.34 crore to the families of the victims.
Families of each victims were granted a solatium of Rs3 lakh by the AIADMK. “It was Amma’s decision. I was deputed to Thiruvallur district to personally hand over the compensation to the families of the victims,” said Saraswathi. “In most cases, it was the bread winners of these families who took the extreme step. It is only because of the love and respect this people have for Jayalalithaa,” said Prof Mridula B Nair, clinical psychologist. She pointed out that Tamils are emotional compared to other people. “They love their heroes, heroines and idols. People in Tamil Nadu also built a temple for film actress Khushboo,” pointed out Prof Nair.
The welfare measures launched by Jayalalthaa for the poor and needy have moved them. On May 16, 2011, after being sworn in as Chief Minister she went to Secretariat and signed two important orders; Each family with BPl ration card was to get 30 kg rice at Rs1 per kg every month and the conversion of the ultra modern secretariat built by her predecessor Muthuvel Karunanidhi (DMK) into a super specialty referral hospital.
The next in line was Amma Restaurants selling idli at Rs1/-, sambar rice at Rs5 and lemon rice at Rs3. These restaurants turned out to be a boon for low wage earners. “After the Bangalore Special Court order, my husband who used to be jovial all the time turned silent. When the High Court turned down Amma’s bail plea, he set himself ablaze and succumbed to the burns the next day,” said Vijaya of Thiruvallur whose husband Arumugmam committed suicide.
The only time Jayalalithaa broke her silence after her conviction was to appeal to the party cadre not to resort to extreme measures. Many times she pleaded through statements urging the party cadre that everything would turn for the good and they should restraint themselves from extreme steps which would pain not only their families but herself too.
On the day she was acquitted by the Karnataka High Court , Jayalalithaa in a statement paid tributes to all those who took their lives following the Bangalore Special court verdict. “Had they been alive, they too would have been part of our happiness and shared the joy ,” said Jayalalithaa.