Chennai: Imagine newspaper readers in Kolkata waking up to see Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jaya-lalithaa’s picture and achievements on their front pages, instead of Mamata Didi! Well, politicians in the South are known for their cult status. Special occasions call for larger than life celebration. So as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa completed one year in office, her Public Relations Department went on an overdrive with front page advertisements in almost all national dailies.
Most newspapers in the country both national English dailies as well as Tamil papers, except the ones owned by DMK members, looked very similar on May 16. The caption: “One Year Of Achievements. Hundred Years Leap Forward,” said it all.
Inserted by the Tamil Nadu Department of Information and Public Relations, each power jacket advertisement is said to have cost up to Rs. 1.5 crore. Sources say a budget of Rs. 25 crore was earmarked to promote brand “Jayalalithaa.”
