J. Jayalalithaa: Difference between revisions

Among her frequent co-stars was [[M. G. Ramachandran]]. In 1982, when [[M. G. Ramachandran]] was chiefChief ministerMinister, Jayalalithaa joined AIADMK, the party he founded. Her political rise was rapid; within a few years she became AIADMK propaganda secretary and was elected to the [[Rajya Sabha]], the [[upper house]] of [[India's Parliament]]. After M.G.R.'s death in 1987, Jayalalithaa proclaimed herself as his political heir and, having fought off the faction headed by M.G.R.'s widow, [[V. N. Janaki Ramachandran]], emerged as the sole leader of the AIADMK. Following the [[1989 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|1989 election]], she became Leader of the Opposition to the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]-led government led by [[M. Karunanidhi]], her ''bête noire''.

In [[1991 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|1991]], Jayalalithaa became chief ministerChief Minister for the first time and was Tamil Nadu's youngest. She earned a reputation for centralising state power among a coterie of bureaucrats; her [[Tamil Nadu Council of Ministers|council of ministers]], whom she often shuffled around, were largely ceremonial in nature. The successful cradle-baby scheme, which enabled mothers to anonymously offer their newborns for adoption, emerged during this time. Despite an official salary of only a rupee a month, Jayalalithaa indulged in public displays of wealth, culminating in a lavish wedding for her foster son V. N. Sudhakaran ([[V. K. Sasikala|Sasikala]]'s elder sister son) on 7 September 1995. In the [[1996 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|1996 election]], the [[AIADMK]] was nearly wiped out at the hustings; Jayalalithaa herself lost her seat. The new [[Karunanidhi]] government filed several corruption cases against her, and she had to spend time in jail.