Such dramatic irony has become common in India, especially Tamil Nadu. The DMK Chief Minister Karunanidhi once charged the CBI with attempting to split his party. Ironically enough, it was he who swallowed the bait of the CBI on whose unconfirmed report he expelled V. Gopalsamy, splitting the party. And little did he anticipate when he accused Indira Gandhi of perpetrating dynasty rule that he too would be accused of projecting his son as his successor.

When Jayalalitha was leader of the Opposition during Karunanidhi's regime, she created a scene, was beaten up by a DMK Minister, then exploited the situation to the hilt. She could not have imagined that a similar, if notidentical, situation would be created after her assumption of office as Chief Minister. True, an MLA close to her unwittingly put her in an embarrassing situation by slapping the lone PMK MLA.

Foreseeing the imminent fall of his government, Karunanidhi gave free power to farmers. It was not done out of generosity, but to place a heavy burden on the AIADMK government which was expected to be formed. Jayalalitha bore the burden for five years only to shift it back to him from 1996. `The even-handed justice' recommended the `poisoned chalice' to his own lips.

Fearing yet another dismissal, Karunanidhi has introduced a populist budget, not realising the burden his government will have to bear if it stays in power. Irony lurks in Jayalalitha's decision to use Subramanian Swamy as a sword to strike down the DMK government. The sword, having struck down the DMK government, started hitting her back. Now, to her relief, it is hitting back at its first victim, albeit with no effect.

It is ironical that Swamy, whohad termed Vajpayee a `drunkard' in his autobiography serialised in a Tamil weekly early in 1997, found him fit to run a stable government in the beginning of 1998. Article 370 is no longer an aberration for the champions of Hindutuva, but rather an article of faith. The champions who had waxed eloquent over Ram are ironically silent on him, to accommodate the Rahims and the Simons of their alliance partners.

A Tamil film actor was expelled from the AIADMK by its supremo reportedly for the sin of being projected as the future Chief Minister by his small group of fans. Maybe the `Permanent Chief Minister', as Jayalalitha is called by her sycophants, did not relish any person being called her successor.

The irony is that the sacked actor campaigned for her, while an upcoming actor whom she had groomed against superstar Rajnikant, turned rebel and is now on the bandwagon of the superstar. R.M. Veerappan, once known as the strong man of the AIADMK, was stripped of his portfolio and later expelled reportedlyfor the sin of having had a snapshot taken with the superstar. Jayalalitha could not have dreamt that her action would one day expel her from power, as it happened in 1996.

To V. Gopalsamy, who has now rechristened himself as Vaiko, Jayalalitha was once enemy number one. Did he think that she would one day turn friend number one? Soon after forming his outfit, Vaiko described Jayalalitha as a mire of corruption and Karunanidhi its spring. Does the mire smell sweet to him now?

Had the Bard of Avon been alive today and visited India, especially Tamil Nadu, he would have written a play abounding in instances of irony. What is more, he would have introduced a cliche through one of his characters: `Opportunism, be thy name politician!'