MADRAS, 17 May — Indian actress-turned-politician Jayaram Jayalalitha vowed yesterday to remain chief minister of Tamil Nadu state, despite a controversy over her previous conviction for corruption.
Less than a week after her sweeping victory in state elections, Jayalalitha defended the provincial governor’s decision to invite her to form the government in Tamil Nadu.
“The governor is a retired Supreme Court judge. Also, her action is not justiciable,” Jayalalitha told reporters here. Her comments came against the backdrop of increasing criticism of the state Governor Fathima Beevi by the Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for inviting Jayalalitha to form a government.
Addressing reporters yesterday, the BJP General Secretary Narendra Modi said that “this action is against all conventions which have been followed all these years.”
He said that “it looks as if she (the governor) has not obtained legal opinion before swearing in Jayalalitha.” The former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram also criticized Fathima’s decision. He said the governor had established a “very wrong precedent.” “It is surprising that even the opinion of the attorney general was not obtained on the issue,” Chidambaram said. The former actress was convicted on charges relating to her 1991-1996 tenure as Tamil Nadu chief minister. In February 2000, she was sentenced to one year’s hard labor but only served two months in jail.
The conviction had disqualified her from contesting the provincial elections held in Tamil Nadu and other states on May 10. According to the Indian Constitution, anyone holding the office of chief minister has to be an elected member of the state assembly. If the chief minister is not a member of the assembly then he or she has to be elected within six months of being sworn in. Jayalalitha was sworn in on Monday.
Asked how she would now overcome the legal hurdles and remain in office by getting elected to the assembly, Jayalalitha merely said: “Wait and see. I do not think it will be a problem to get elected.” Jayalalitha said she would follow the traditions and call on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee though she did not specify when.
