Over a year after she died, late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s death continues to be a political weapon for the different players in the state. With just days to go for the RK Nagar bye-poll, now DMK acting president Stalin has slammed the ruling AIADMK – especially Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami – of conspiring to lie to the people about Jayalalithaa’s death.
In a statement released on Facebook, Stalin said that OPS only spoke up about Jayalalithaa’s death when his political fortunes were in danger. “OPS who became Chief Minister within a few hours of Jayalalithaa's death with the help of Sasikala, did not come forward with any questions. When the situation became one of Sasikala grabbing his post, he staged a drama of dharma yudham," Stalin wrote.
“When he was staging this drama only he spoke that "dialogue" of judicial inquiry,” Stalin further said about OPS. “OPS is an such a great man that as long as he had his post, he did not open his mouth and showed obedience.”
Taking on Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami for his double standards, Stalin said, “Now Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami is campaigning in RK Nagar along with him (OPS). But when he got the post with the help of Sasikala, he said there was no conspiracy in Jayalalithaa's death, and that there was no need for an inquiry.”
Stalin also took on Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dhinakaran, and noted that no footage of Jayalalithaa's treatment was released as promised by him.
“EPS, OPS, and TTV stood by Sasikala when Jayalalithaa was in her deathbed for 72 days and were part of hiding the true state of Jayalalithaa's health from both the general public as well as the AIADMK party cadre on a daily basis,” Stalin said.
Earlier in February, Stalin had blamed Jayalalithaa's close confidant Sasikala for the death of the Chief Minister saying the latter would receive jail time if a probe were to be conducted.
Stalin's accusations come only a few days after C Prathap Reddy, Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals where Jayalalithaa was admitted, told reporters that she was admitted to the hospital on September 11 in a critical condition. He said, "Because there is an enquiry going on, I should not say more. I have already told you, she came in a very critical condition. Thanks to the various efforts of everybody concerned, she showed significant progress."
Until now, Apollo has maintained that she had been admitted for ‘fever and dehydration’. The hospital in its bulletins had repeatedly claimed that Jayalalithaa was stable and under observation.
While Prathap Reddy has now said that this advice was owing to the law and order situation in the state, there are still questions being raised on who gave the advice and whether there was more to it than just that.
In September this year, a one-man commission was set up, headed by High Court Judge Arumugasamy, a day after Tamil Nadu Forests Minister C Sreenivasan publicly admitted that AIADMK leaders had lied about former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s final stay in hospital.