From cheers to tears in hours

AIADMK had 0set itself up for the fall. Anticipating a clean chit for chief minister J Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case, the party kicked off celebrations ahead of the verdict by bursting crackers and distributing sweets across the city. Post lunch, jubilation turned to lamentation as the party faced up to the reality of her conviction by a court in Bangalore.
The day dawned on an optimistic note as cadres started to file into Chennai from as far as Ariyalur, Madurai and Tirunelveli.Functionaries, discussing the fate of the verdict, were seen huddled in the bylanes off Lloyds Road, home of the AIADMK headquarters, while across the city crowds of cadres waved party flags and danced to drum beats.
Auto drivers M A M Murugananam and M S Anandan flaunted the stock of firecrackers in their vehicles. “Amma will come out unscathed and we will celebrate like never before,” they said, echoing the refrain on the streets.
Chinnaiyan, a Chennai Corporation councillor, dropped by Lloyds Road with a huge plate of ladoos from Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam temple in T Nagar, where he had offered prayers. “DMK manufactured the charges out of political vendetta.
She will not be found guilty,” he claimed, amid cheers from supporters.
“Once the verdict is out, I will go and burn the effigy of Karunanidhi in front of his residence,” promised P Velankani, another councillor.
Renuka Raja of Vellore, accompanied by members of AIADMK’s women’s wing, broke into song and dance praising Amma. “Vetri nichayam, Ammavukku vetri nichayam” chants rent the air.
Cadres periodically turned to attendant journalists for the latest updates because of their inability to get through to their counterparts at the Bangalore court, where telecom jammers rendered cellphones useless. “My husband is in Bangalore, and got hurt when police lathicharged him near the court,” said Ramani Krishnan, Purasawalkam ward councillor, before proclaiming “Amma is our life.”
And then the thunderstorm broke at 2.30pm. As news of the conviction reached party headquarters, women cadres howled in despair, and the men struggled to hide their emotions. Former minister Valarmathi Jebaraj, social welfare board chief C R Saraswathi and news anchor Fathima Babu were in tears as they followed the proceedings on news channels. “Our Amma has not done anything wrong, it is a fabricated case. She will come out of this clean,” said Jeeva, another councillor, wiping away tears.
Despair soon turned to rage as cadres took to the streets, burning effigies of Karunanidhi with telling ferocity. They chanted slogans against DMK, alleging corruption by its leaders.
S Bharathiraja, a dubbing artist and fervent supporter of AIADMK, said the conviction shook the ground beneath his feet. “Amma has no family, why would she have amassed wealth,” he questioned.
Though deeply upset, he persuaded his cadres to refrain from throwing stones at an MTC bus near Royappettah High Road junction. On one of the darkest days of AIADMK history, restraint, however, was in short supply.