JAYAVERSARY!

The Tamilnadu government has released massive advertisements [and bought promo advertorials] in today’s newspapers, on the eve of the first anniversary of the inauguration of its chief minister, Dr. Ms. J Jayalalitha. TMC leader, Derek O Brien, places the cost at a whopping Rs 50 crore [yes, five and zero].

Is there no law banning these ego-trips? If none, shouldn’t there be one?

That government has also distributed free laptops, gold ornaments, mixers, grinders, rice, and what not, in accordance with her party’s manifesto. Isn’t there any law prohibiting political parties from making such outrageous promises in their manifestos? If none, should there be one?

These regional parties make such outlandish promises, land their state into financial mess and then come to the Centre for dolls. Isn’t it time the Election Commission was empowered to demand viability, justification and rationale from politicians for their promises?

In Reply to a Further Comment:

The sheer vulgarity of the display of their egos is benumbing given that the same money could be put straight away to far more constructive uses.

What of Dr. Jayalalitha or Mr. Modi, they have always been outlandish in this.

On the eve of UPA anniversary there were full page laudatory advertisements with large pictures of Dr Manmohan Singh and Ms Sonia Gandhi. I, in fact, was affected enough to write to her requesting that she forbade this sycophancy.”