TN CM orders probe into Jayalalithaa death, Poes Garden home to be memorial

Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday announced a Commission of Inquiry to go into the death of Jayalalithaa and also said her Poes Garden residence would be turned into a memorial, thus meeting two of the prime conditions for merger set by the rival faction led by O. Panneerselvam.

The inquiry, announced eight months after the former CM’s demise at the end of 75 days of battle with multiple ailments at the Apollo Hospital, will be headed by a retired judge of the Madras High Court. The judge’s name would be announced later, Chief Minister Palaniswami said, recalling that the media had reported “all kinds of statements from various people and organisations” regarding Jayalalithaa’s death.  

The 68-year-old former chief minister died following cardiac arrest on December 5, plunging her followers into a state of despair and sorrow, and the state politics into a cauldron of near-chaos.

Hailing Jayalalithaa as a great leader who had toiled for the welfare of the state and its people, CM Palaniswami said her ‘Veda Nilayam’ residence would be made a memorial in deference to the requests from several quarters. “Amma’s residence will be turned into a government memorial, where the public can learn about her various achievements and sacrifices”, said the Chief Minister, flanked by senior cabinet colleagues, finance minister D. Jayakumar, forest minister Dindigul C. Sreenivasan and power minister P. Thangamani at the crowded press conference at the Secretariat.

Just a while after the CM’s announcement of the probe into Jayalalithaa’s death, the OPS camp’s main spokesman K.P.Munusami expressed dissatisfaction saying only a CBI probe would bring out the truth. “We have been all along demanding a CBI investigation”, he said, adding that the decision to covert ‘Veda Nilayam’ into a memorial was “most welcome”.

It was certainly not welcome for Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa, who held a press conference at her T’Nagar residence and declared she would fight the CM’s decision “right up to the Supreme Court”. “He could have at least discussed it with me, since I am a legal heir (along with brother Deepak), before making this announcement. Besides, he has no authority to convert my aunt’s residence into a state memorial”, fumed Deepa, one of the byproducts of the post-Jaya chaos.

“As her niece and heir, I have been planning to preserve for posterity my aunt's great achievements and fame, in a fitting manner. Only I have the responsibility to take to the people her life and legacy”, she said.

If the CM's camp was disheartened by Munusami's dismissive response and Deepa's challenge, there was some solace from another OPS camper, former minister Mafoi Pandiarajan. “Victory for OPS dharma-yudham. All three key demands by OPS met decisively. Time to transparently negotiate for merger”, tweeted “delighted” Pandiarajan.

The “three key demands” conceded by the EPS faction include the resolution it passed on August 8 saying that no one is qualified for the position of party general secretary held by the great Amma - which in effect meant that Sasikala chosen as the 'interim' general secretary has served her time once the Supreme Court sent her to the Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru. That resolution had also ejected her nephew TTV Dhinakaran from the post of deputy general secretary; which effectively addressed the key OPS demand that the 'family' should be kept out of the AIADMK.

Now that everything, or nearly everything, appears sorted out, it remains to be seen when the merger moves that seemed slowing down of late, will pick up pace.