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Renowned political analyst Cho Ramaswamy was his characteristic, witty self at the customary anniversary celebration of his magazine, Thuglak.

The Tamil magazine, which has completed 34 years, caters to a niche readership and there is no need to even announce the anniversary celebrations or the day as it has become a ritual: January 14, come rain or hail (or hereafter, earthquake).

Cho lashed out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa as being intolerant towards any criticism, particularly from the media, he said. He referred to the privileges motion brought in the Assembly against ‘The Hindu’ daily and and the arrest warrants issued against its journalists and said it was unnecessary and only showed her intolerant nature at its best.

There wasn’t anyone in her party to oppose her decisions which has made her intolerant of media criticism, he explained. He conceded that she was a determined person and strong in her decisions as well as their implementation, especially in tackling the government staff strike and using POTA against MDMK leader Vaiko and Nakkeeran editor, Gopal.

He said her strong anti-terrorism measures would ensure a better and safer Tamil Nadu in future. He was, however, critical of her approach on the much-debated Cauvery issue where he said she should learn that talks are on the only way out and the Supreme Court cannot come to the rescue always. Therefore, she should make a trip to Bangalore for a round of talks with Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna.

Cho was particularly critical of DMK president M Karunanidhi when he flayed him for his inconsistency in policy-making. He highlighted Karunanidhi’s support to POTA at the Centre and later opposing it after Vaiko’s arrest in the state.

As is the ritual at the Thughlak anniversaries, Cho responded to readers’ questions. To one such reader, he said the recent image of Karunanidhi as media-friendly was a farce as his track record in the ‘70s would show. Cho was also critical of the PMK and their getting out of the NDA and said there was a chance that it may rejoin the alliance after elections “as it has tasted ministerial benefits”.

Discussing the political trends at the national level, Cho lauded the BJP-led NDA for its performance in the fields of economy, foreign exchange and IT. He also welcomed the prospect of India emerging as a nuclear giant as this would put the country in the list of developed and strong nations.

Reacting to the latest controversy of film production being weighed down by politicians and their demands, he said it was not a good sign. Only the law of the land can bring about make or suggest amendments or alterations and politicians should not be allowed to dictate terms to the film world.

To a question on the need for a common civil code, Cho stressed that it should be implemented only after a consensus was evolved following discussions with the minorities.

C S Sathish Anand & K Vishnu Kumar