Jayalalithaa Jayaram[a] (24
February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian actress and politician who
served five terms as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, for over fourteen years between 1991 and 2016.
From 1989 she was the general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a Dravidian
party whose cadre revered her as their Amma (mother) and Puratchi
Thalaivi (revolutionary leader), among other
honorifics. Critics in the media and the opposition accused her of fostering a personality
cult, and of demanding absolute loyalty from AIADMK legislators
and ministers who often publicly prostrated themselves before her.
Some strong point of Jayalalithaa’s life
Jayalalithaa
Jayaram, an Indian actress-turned-politician, was a six-time chief minister of
Tamil Nadu. She was also the General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party. She was sworn-in as the chief minister for a
record sixth term on 23 May 2016. Jayalalithaa died in office on December 5,
2016 at the age of 68 years after suffering from a major cardiac arrest. She
held the distinction for being the second female Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Her followers fondly refer to her as "Amma", meaning mother, and
"Puratchi Thalaivi", meaning revolutionary leader. Jayalalithaa, as
she was commonly referred to, was a famous South Indian film star before she
joined politics.
She had various films in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu
languages. She was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1984 and served in
this post till 1989. Tamil Nadu. She also shares the record of holding the
chief ministerial position five times with DMK president M. Karunanidhi. Her
followers fondly call her “Amma”, meaning mother, and "Puratchi
Thalaivi", meaning revolutionary leader. Jayalalitha, as she is commonly
referred to, was a famous South Indian film star before she joined politics.
She had appeared as a lead actress in various films in Tamil, Kannada and
Telugu languages. Jayalalitha was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha in
1984 and served in this post till 1989.
Personal background of
Jayalalithaa
Jayalalithaa
was born in Mysore (now in the state of Karnataka) at a place called Melukote
on 24 February 1948. She hailed from a Tamil Iyengar family. Her father
Jayaram, a lawyer by profession, passed away when she was just two years old.
Consequently, Jayalalitha and her brother Jayakumar had to shift to Bangalore
along with their mother.
Her mother, Vedavathi, started working in Tamil cinema with the screen name of Sandhya. ‘Jaya’, meaning 'victorious', is a prefix used in the names of Jayalalitha, her brother Jayakumar and many other members of their family. This portrays the family’s association with the Wodeyar Dynasty of Mysore, which dates back to 1880-1920 when Jayalalitha’s grandfather, a surgeon by profession, used to serve the Mysore Kingdom.
Jayalalitha completed her schooling from Bishop Cotton Girls' High School, Chennai, and Sacred Heart Matriculation School, also popularly known as Presentation Church Park Convent, in Chennai. She was a very good student and received scholarship for higher studies from the Government of India after completing her matriculation in 1964. However, she took up films shortly after that. Her career saw her working in films of different languages, including English, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. She was a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and had proficiency in other dance forms like Kathak, Mohiniyattam and Manipuri as well. She also lent her voice as singer in some of her films. She had proficiency in English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. Her brother, Jayakumar, passed away in the early 1990s. Jayalalitha remained unmarried.
Jayalalithaa's
Disproportionate Assets Case
Jayaram
Jayalalitha was acquitted in the infamous 18-year-old disproportionate assets
(amounting to Rs. 66.65 crore) and corruption case by the Karnataka High Court
on 11 May, 2015. A trial court had convicted and sentenced her to four years of
jail as well as a fine of Rs. 100 crore on 27 September 2014. Jayalalitha filed
an appeal challenging the decision in the Karnataka High Court. These charges
were held “not sustainable” by the special bench of the Karnataka High Court.
Earlier, the five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was held guilty by a
special court in Bangalore in a disproportionate assets case and had to vacate
her post as a consequence. The charges were levelled by Dr. Subramanian Swamy
in 1996. She was convicted under IPC 109 and 120 (b) along with 13 of the
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Jayalalithaa's
professional background before entering politics
At
the behest of her mother, Jayalalitha started working in films at the age of 15
when she was still in school. Below is a chronicle of her acting career:
·
Her
first film, 'Epistle', was in English language and released in 1961.
·
In
1964, under the direction of B.R. Panthulu, she made her debut in Kannada film
'Chinnada Gombe' as the lead actress.
·
In
1965, she made her debut in Tamil film 'Vennira Aadai', which was directed by
C.V. Sridhar. Jayalalitha was the first heroine in Tamil films in the mid-1960s
to appear in short-sleeved dresses, skirts, gowns and woolen suits.
·
In
1966, she made her debut in the Telugu film 'Manushulu Mamathalu'.
·
Jayalalitha
acted opposite Shivaji Ganesan in the film 'Pattikada Pattanama' in 1972, which
won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.
·
In
1973, she received three Filmfare Awards for Best Actress for her performance
in the films 'Pattikada Pattanama', 'Suryakanthi' and 'Sri Krishna Satya'.
·
The
first Tamil film that India submitted for the Academy Awards in the category
'Best Foreign Language Film' was 'Deiva Magan'. It featured her and Sivaji
Ganesan.
·
The
1960s and 1970s saw a number of successful films pairing her and M.R.
Ramachandran.
·
'Izzat',
one of her notable Hindi films, saw her paired opposite Dharmendra.
Jayalalithaa's journey in
Indian politics
·
In
1982, Jayalalitha became a member of the AIADMK, a party founded by M.G.
Ramachandran. It marked her entry into politics.
·
She
gave her first public speech, Pennin Perumai (the Pride of Women), at the
conference of the party that year.
·
She
was made the Propaganda Secretary of the AIADMK in January 1983. As was chosen
by Puratchi Thalaivar M.G.R., Jayalalitha conducted her first election campaign
in
·
February
1983 for the party as a candidate in the by-election from the Tiruchendur
Assembly Constituency.
·
Jayalalitha
was elected for the first time as a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1984 and she
retained the seat till 1989.
·
In
1984, M.G.R. fell ill and moved to the U.S.A to undergo medical treatment. In
his absence, Jayalalitha came to the forefront during the elections to the Lok
Sabha and the Legislative Assembly in Tamil Nadu in December 1984. That year,
the alliance of Congress (I) and AIADMK secured a massive victory.
·
Puratchi
Thalaivar M.G.R. expired in 1987, after which the AIADMK was split into two
parties. The election symbol of the party, "Two Leaves", was frozen
by the Election Commission of India.
- Jayalalitha
was elected as a member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1989 from
the Bodinayakkanur constituency.
- Jayalalitha
was the first lady to become the Leader of the Opposition in the
Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu.
- The two
factions of the party reunited in February 1989 under the leadership of
Jayalalitha, who was unanimously elected as the General Secretary of the
united AIADMK.
- The
election symbol of the AIADMK party, 'Two Leaves', was restored by her in
1989.
- Jayalalitha
directed the Congress (I) and AIADMK alliance to a historic victory in the
1989 General Elections to the Lok Sabha in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.
- Under her
leadership, the AIADMK secured victories in all the subsequent
by-elections from the constituencies of Peranamallur, Madurai East and
Marungapuri to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
- A
landslide victory was secured by Jayalalitha in the Tamil Nadu Legislative
Assembly elections held in 1991, when the party and its alliance won 225
out of the total 234 seats. She contested from two constituencies,
Kangeyam and Bargur, and won both the seats comprehensively.
- On 24 June
1991, she became the youngest ever and the second female Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu. She held the position till 12 May 1996.
- She swept
the 1991 General Elections by securing a complete victory for the AIADMK
and its alliance partner INC in the 40 Lok Sabha constituencies of
Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, thus creating history.
- The 1998
general election of the Lok Sabha saw the AIADMK and its alliance securing
30 out of 40 seats.
- The 2001
Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections saw her leading the alliance to
a win of 195 seats out of the 234 and her party, the AIADMK, alone secured
132 seats.
- On 14 May
2001, Jayalalitha became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the second
time and held the post till 21 September 2001.
- In
February 2002, she was elected from the constituency of Andipatti.
- She
remained the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 2 March 2002 to 12 May
2006.
- The AIADMK
alliance won 69 seats in the 2006 Legislative Assembly elections and
Jayalalitha served as the Leader of Opposition.
- Again in
the 2011 Legislative Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK and its
allies bounced back, winning 203 seats out of 234, with the AIADMK
securing 150 seats on its own. The new government was formed on 16 May
2011 and Jayalalitha became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the
fourth time.
- Jayaram
Jayalalitha had to step down from her post of the Chief Minister of Tamil
Nadu in September 2014 when a trial court in Karnataka held her guilty in
an 18-year-old disproportionate assets (amounting to Rs. 66.65 crore) and
corruption case. The court had sentenced her to a four-year jail term with
a fine of Rs. 100 crore, but she challenged this verdict in Karnataka High
Court.
·
On
11 May 2015, the Karnataka High Court acquitted Jayalalitha in the
Disproportionate Assets case.
·
J.
Jayalalitha was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for a
record-equalling fifth time on 23 May 2015.
·
On
25 April 2016, she filed her nomination papers in R. K. Nagar ahead of the
Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
·
She
created a history of sorts by becoming the first chief minister since 1989 to
return to power for a second consecutive term.
·
She
took oath as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for a record sixth time on 23 May
2016.
Awards and Honours won by
Jayalalitha
·
In
1972, the Government of Tamil Nadu honoured her with the Kalaimamani Award.
·
A
degree of Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) was conferred upon her by the
University of Madras in 1991.
·
A
degree of Doctor of Science was conferred upon her by Dr. M.G.R. Medical
University in 1992.
·
A
degree of Doctor of Letters was conferred upon her by Madurai Kamaraj
University in 1993.
·
A
degree of Doctor of Science was given to her by Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University in 2003.
·
A
degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris causa) was conferred upon her by
Bharathidasan University in 2003.
·
She
was invited by the House of Lords, London, in 2004 to receive the "Woman
Politician of the Decade" Award from the Asian Guild Awards.
·
The
Golden Star of Honour and Dignity Award was conferred upon her in 2004 by the
International Human Rights Defence Committee recognising her services in
protecting the weaker section of society and in the field of gender equality in
Tamil Nadu and India.
·
In
2011, a resolution was passed by the New Jersey General Assembly to appreciate
her exemplary excellence and dedication as a leader and in service to the
people of Tamil Nadu.
SOURCE:- wikipedia
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