Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa riding crest of popular wave

This well-planned move on the lines of those practised in countries like Norway and Sweden is another indication that the slew of goodies further covers the women folk of the state including young and expecting mothers.

The kit of 16 goodies has been planned well, towel, baby clothes, infant bed, protective net, napkin, 100 ml baby oil bottle, 60 ml shampoo sachet, soap box, soap, nail clipper, two toys, rattler, 250 ml handwash liquid and a 100 gram soap for mother, and even ‘Sowbhagya Sundilegyam’ for enhanced secretion of breast milk, plus a box to keep all these things. The government will be spending over Rs 67 crore on these gift hampers just this fiscal and over 6.7 lakh babies would benefit, the Chief Minister told the assembly in one of her 110 statements.

Already, her Amma canteen has become an international hit, apart from reaching ridiculously inexpensive breakfasts, lunches and dinners to thousands of people not only the poor but even several middle-class persons can be seen in the queues. “A person can take care of his ntiresaappaadu needs for the day by spending just Rs 19 five rupees for five idlis in the morning, lunch comprising a plate of sambar rice (or curry leave rice of lemon rice) for five rupees and curd rice for three rupees and dinner of four chappatis with dhal for six rupees.

The July 24 announcement, ‘Amma Scheme for Training and Employment’ has excited the campuses and homes, they say as that would dramatically improve the employability of the engineering graduates and diploma holders most of whom are now terribly lacking on skills and earn less than a government peon.

Tap any AIADMK cadre on the shoulder and he or she will sing praises of Amma and insist that the people are with her. But the morale in the opposition camps has been going downwards. ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth’s DMDK had contested the 2011 state poll as an AIADMK ally to push aside the DMK as the main opposition, but soon fell out with Amma and ‘Captain’ is now just a shadow of his usual roaring self. He was the BJP’s ally in the Lok Sabha election but nobody knows if the BJP still values his company after his party drew a blank in the battle.

The DMK is in no better shape, despite having been in the ruling benches several terms. The party scored ‘zero’ contesting all the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the one in Puducherry in the Lok Sabha poll but worse still, is now battling perhaps its worst internal storm as treasurer M.K. Stalin seems to at last realise he has been the heir-apparent for a bit too long.

Party lieutenants, however, are putting up a brave face at their ritualistic appearances at Anna Arivalayam, the headquarters. “The next (state) election will see us back in kottai (power); thalaivar (Karunanidhi) will sew up a formidable allia nce,” says former Chennai Mayor Ma. Subramanian, a DMK senior.

But then, ask a DMK worker and he would probably just shrug off Ma Su’s bravado. That is the difference in the vertical and horizontal morale spreads in the DMK and the AIADMK.

The morale peak in her party ranks, the positive public response to her administration and the divided opposition are the main factors which could make Jayalalithaa advance the state poll battle, observers feel. That she now has a handsome majority of 151 in a House of 234 may not weigh down the advantage of gaining a fresh five-year term from mid-2015.