Short of demanding President’s Rule in Tamil Nadu, the BJP’s three allies in the state — DMK, PMK and MDMK — have sought the Centre’s intervention to end the ‘misrule’’ of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Leaders of the three parties urged Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee to take ‘‘corrective and deterrent action by the Centre so as to ensure the rule of law and enforcement of Constitutional provisions in the state and upholding of the democratic rights of the people’’. Vajpayee reportedly assured them that he would ask for a report from the government.In a lengthy memorandum submitted to the PM, the leaders complained that ‘‘the state was in utter turmoil. Facts stare, call for action’’. According to them, these facts were: the crippling of body politics in Tamil Nadu, democracy being made a mockery, indictment by Constitutional authorities, people on a warpath, maladministration, spoiled relations with neighbouring states, intimidation of the press and media, the POTA case against journalist Gopal, and the booking of Vaiko under POTA. The delegation was headed by Union Environment Minister T.R. Baalu.
