Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has done what no political leader has done: To unite the people of Tamil Nadu on an issue and giving a legitimate voice to their collective aspirations, which has sent shivers down the spine of the Centre. Even as the Centre is dilly-dallying on the question of extending support to the US resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC meeting in Geneva, the people are exuberant that the Chief Minister has told the Centre what it should do in an international forum. That has led to activists from Tamil rights groups, who persistently protest against the Sri Lankan government’s alleged war crimes, see in Jayalalithaa the right leader, around whom Tamil people can rally around. As they say, “If Jayalalithaa had been in power in 2009 when the war in Sri Lanka was at its peak, things might have been different. She would have exerted pressure on the Centre to intervene.” They point to the courage with which she slammed the Union Railway budget, saying that it “lacks direction and has not attempted to provide any solution to the problems daunting the leviathan of Indian Railways.” Her statement, “It is disappointing to note that there has been no announcement of a dedicated freight corridor in the Southern Sector, originating from Chennai” not only spoke of her genuine concern for the development of the state but also her understanding of economics. Nobody else has pointed out that lapse in the budget. Citing many such examples, people say that more than the courage, it is the commitment of the Chief Minister that has made her urge the Centre to support the US resolution, first. Other parties, particularly the DMK, had no choice but to tow her line.
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