The Hindu Business Line : `It's all God's will, says Jayalalithaa

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms Jayalalithaa, being greeted by partymen after she was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the TANSI land deal case on Monday. — Bijoy Ghosh

Chennai , Nov. 24

FIRECRACKERS went off as news broke that the Supreme Court had acquitted the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, in the TANSI cases. "Long live Puratchi Thalaivi!" the crowd roared at Poes Garden, home to the woman hailed as the `revolutionary leader'.

Till 10.45 a.m., the posh residential locality in the heart of the city was calm, an occasional car gliding by, the drivers looking curiously at the crowd of AIADMK supporters and journalists standing at intersections.

Outside the huge black gates at 36 Poes Garden, the Chief Minister's residence, reporters glanced at their watches and fiddled with their cell phones, awaiting news of the Supreme Court's ruling on an appeal against the Chennai High Court verdict that had acquitted her of impropriety in buying TANSI land.

Suddenly, a phone shrilled.

Acquitted!

The crowd screamed with delight. Party workers hugged one another. Firecrackers resounded. Boxes of laddoos, burfis, and pedas appeared miraculously.

Within minutes hundreds of AIADMK members poured in. Dozens of white Ambassador cars, red lights twirling on the roof, raced in, emptying virtually the entire Cabinet.

Dozens of policemen, some with guns, dragged metal barricades across the road to check the swelling crowds.

Suddenly, the 3-metre-high gates at Veda Nilayam swung open and a silver-grey Mitsubishi Pajero drove out. A beaming Chief Minister lowered her power window as camera crew thrust their microphones.

"It's all God's will,'' she said. "Thanks be to God. That's all.''

The SUV sped away to North Chennai, to the Vadivudai Amman Temple at Thiruvottriyur.

The journalists settled down, awaiting her return. The crowds kept swelling. More barricades went up. An hour later, Ms Jayalalithaa was back.

More fireworks, more shouts of joy. She waved to her supporters and went into her house, chased by reporters.

"I can think of only one thing to say,'' she said. "It's all thanks to God's grace.''

Asked about the transfer of two of the cases pending against her to a special court in Karnataka, she declined to comment. To another question on the same issue, she said, "There is no physical inconvenience. I need to make a personal appearance only for my deposition.''

Reporters shouted questions almost simultaneously. "I can't think of anything to say at the moment,'' was the reply.

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