3 words bureaucrats were wary of hearing from Jayalalithaa

CHENNAI: “You don't know!" When J. Jayalalithaa said this, bureaucrats knew the chief minister was ending the conversation, the argument. It was a line they never crossed. Inspiring awe and respect through her terms as CM, Jayalalithaa held a tight rein over government and bureaucracy. The benevolent autocrat never took 'no' for an answer, often described like her idol former PM Indira Gandhi as “the only man in her cabinet“.

Bureaucrats say she was quick to make decisions. But those who ran afoul felt her wrath as quickly. “She prepared for review meetings," says a senior IAS officer who worked with her. “Her capacity to comprehend was amazing. At most, she would ask for additional inputs and the decision was taken then and there. “Her trusted lieutenants could do anything as long as they kept her in the loop. But if they lost her trust, she wouldn't hesitate to sack them. The suspensions of former chief secretary K Gnanadesikan (2016) and former DGP A Ravindranath (2001) are telling examples.

Officers would be impressed by her understanding of issues and clarity of thought. Jayalalithaa had a sharp memory, and was methodical. She had a diary containing details of almost every IPS officer in the state, going through it before deciding on transfers, postings and promotions. She kept a careful eye on Tamil nationalist groups and smaller caste parties that could cause social tensions and didn't hesitate to act against PMK's Ramadoss and MDMK's Vaiko. During her 2001-2006 term, she ordered detention of former ally Vaiko under POTA for a public speech supporting LTTE. Ramadoss and his son Anbumani were arrested in 2013 for inciting violence. She was inaccessible to many, but despite staying within a tight circle, her political assessment was rarely wrong — even with the prospect of disqualification due to the wealth case, she fielded candidates in all 234 assembly segments earlier this year; this despite predictions that the DMK was regrouping. She won the state again.