Skip to main content

The Brand Amma - Social Work or Self Promotion

J Jayalalithaa, the actress turned Chief minister of Tamil Nadu was given the nickname "Amma" by her followers comparing to or assuming her Amma (Mother). But, she developed this nickname to be the biggest brand in Tamil Nadu, the “Amma brand”. Despite having no market value of this brand, it has a very significant value for the people of Tamil Nadu, especially the poor and the have-nots. For them, she is the goddess who is not only filling their hungry stomach but also providing them almost all basic items necessary for living a decent life (including some luxurious items too).


After becoming CM, the major work Jayalalithaa's government has done is providing subsidy and freebies to the people. For instance, subsidized cheap food at canteen, packaged water, pharmacy bill, cement, free rice, free mixer grinder, spectacles, mobiles, laptops, bicycles, etc. all under brand "Amma" and at the price no other shopkeepers, manufacturers or the e-commerce companies can dare to give or if they do we have every right to call them "fools". In other words, the brand "Amma" is all about subsidy!

So, is this the right way of running a state? Why shouldn't Tamil Nadu then become model state for development like the Gujarat model and let Jayalalithaa to expand her brand "Amma" to the national and to the global level? The answer is a big "no" because this may appear as a social work but if we look it more closely, we'll find that this is nothing but an abuse of power for self promotion to remain in power forever.

If she continue to give subsidies in this manner, people will definitely choose her leadership because we know Indians love subsidies. Also, when you've a hungry stomach, you cannot think or decide clearly what is right and what is not. And seriously, why would anyone deny taking this fantastic services of brand "Amma"?

There are charges of corruption against her government and she was also nabbed in the Disproportionate asset case. But, nothing made her weak as she didn't lose trust of the people who elected her and it's all thanks to the brand Amma.

So, how does she compensate the massive subsidy and freebies she offers to the people of Tamil Nadu? Any guess? The answer may be injurious to health!


As election is underway, opposition parties are trying to devalue the Amma brand. The principle opposition party cannot make corruption an issue in this election because people haven't forget the 2G scam yet and if they did, Amma will remind them once again.

As Jayalalithaa provides services of "Amma" not just during elections but 24/7, the Election Commission cannot question her integrity. If EC somehow manage to ban the services during election, then more and more people will come out voting for AIADMK to make Jayalalithaa chief minister once again or to avail services of brand "Amma". In a nutshell, by creating the brand "Amma", Jayalalithaa is ruling the hearts of people and the state of Tamil Nadu.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Anatomy Of Suicidal Propensity And Life's Purpose

I don't know whether committing suicide is a courageous or cowardly act. And I think, taking a specific side here would be unfair. During evolution, our thinking power enabled us to survive. But, it has also provided us an option to end a messed up life. Suicide is a very serious psychological and philosophical problem that modern humans are facing today. Legally, it is a crime. Religion, too, never permitted this act. And, as a society, we don't want people to do it. To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep— But, when life becomes miserable, why would one let one's mind to suffer, when there is an option of suicide to attain peace? Why is everyone against suicide? Probably because, suicide is the violation of human survival interest. We are an adapting species and always believe tha

Bihar Liquor Ban - The Political Perspective

Whether you call it Nitish Kumar's masterstroke for gaining publicity and support of people or a responsible chief minister batting for people's interests, on the face of it, it is great that Bihar is free from alcohol abuse. The Bihar excise (amendment) act, 2016 – a very old 1915 act has been converted into a very stringent law – is haunting the alcohol gang of Bihar. This law banned manufacturing, selling or consumption of liquors (strong or mild) and even prescribes the death penalty for the manufacturer, suppliers and sellers of hooch in case of death as a result of consumption of spurious liquors. Although Biharis can drink outside state boundary, they'll be punished if they create nuisance after returning home. The government had actually proposed to ban only 'desi' liquors. The sale of non-country or ‘Indian Made Foreign Liquor’ (IMFL) was allowed, although, with some caveats. However, within five days, the government extended the ban to IMFL as w

Teachers Or Cheaters

We are quite aware with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan of "minimum government-maximum governance". It is one of the agenda of Modi during his campaign in 2014 general election. The place where this needs to be implemented the most is government elementary schools with slight modification as "minimum teachers-maximum teachings". Without any doubt, the government school teachers are the biggest cheaters and a burden on the economy. The salary of the government teachers is much higher than the private sector teachers (In UP, the difference is 20 times). But rather than working harder and better, the government teachers are often seen "missing in action". Karthik Muralidharan's 2014 study estimates an absence rate of 23.6 percent. When they are present, they spend much of their time in non-teaching activities or teaching with little professional competence, and exercise little effort. Some teachers don't even see for six months but d

JNU - A Vision of Modern Democratic India

Through the ongoing controversy what we need to understand is that ours is a young nation still in the making which has all the ingredients to become truly a great nation, but it needs time. Give this nation that time, that gestation period and it will show the world the true meaning of greatness, one which is home to a complete spectrum of diverse culture but still thrives together with immeasurable amount of tolerance which has never been experienced anywhere else (this holds for the common citizens of India but unfortunately not for the practitioners of divisive vote-bank politics which they don’t find anti-national). Every powerful nation that exists today has gone through some sort of civil war which led to enormous violence and bloodshed. We too have our share of challenges; be it the Kashmir issue, Nagaland or Naxalism; but we have the opportunity to show the world that we can do it in a better way without any bloodshed. It is that unity in diversity that is the soul of

Bihar Liquor Ban - Alcoholism and Society

Disclaimer : No alcohol has been used during the writing of this post. I don't know why I didn't cover this story earlier. Probably because on this topic, I didn't want to write in haste and as sayings go “better late than never”, I came up with this post. And while writing this article, sometimes I felt an alcoholic haze, that is why you should read this carefully! Let us begin with the definition of 'Alcoholism'. Casually, the process of consuming alcoholic drinks is called alcoholism. But, to be precise, alcoholism is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal addiction to alcohol, and taking it in small quantity very occasionally is not. Simply put, if you can live without alcohol, you are not an alcoholic. “Alcoholism is the effect of excessive intake of alcohol on the functions of the body and personality.” ~ W.C. Reckless “Alcoholism is a condition in which the individual has lost control over his alcohol intake in that he is constantl

Beat The Lost Growth In Your Child With Horlick Growth+

Children are building blocks for a healthy society. They must grow to their full capacities. To carry the responsibility of human species on their shoulders and to take it to a next level, they must be developed strong, vigorous and healthy both physically and psychologically. Children are curious by nature. This curiosity must be nurtured. It is the quality that churns out great scientists, doctors, engineers, teachers, writers, etc. This curiosity brings innovation and creative ideas, essential for a progressive society, make our life easier and this world a better place to live in. All parents want to see their children in a healthy state. They leave no stone unturned to keep them strong, healthy and full of curiosity. Often, they get the results. But, in certain cases, their children fall behind on growth. They do not show the symptoms of growth. They do not attain right weight and height as per the age. And, as a result of retarded growth, they do not show curiosity for le

The Indian Society And The Struggle Of Our Sports Fraternity

India, the world’s second-most populous nation, fails to show its dominance in sports. In fact, India's performance remains terrible except in few games. So, what's holding India back when it comes to competing in world sporting events like the Olympics? First, it's the conservative Indian mindset of the Indian society. You might be aware of the saying in India “ Padhoge likhoge banoge Nawab, kheloge kudoge banoge kharab ” which translates to “You can be a king if you study, can be spoilt if you play games.” Social life of a person who took the plunge of making a career in sports in India can be challenging and demotivating. An Indian parents or teachers, being part of the society, don't consider sports as a career. They have the biggest influence in a child's future ambitions. They may scold the child that “playing a sport will get you nowhere in life, but to make a life you need to be good in academics”. In other words, young Indians are discouraged from playing s