None of us met Jayalalithaa in Apollo: O Panneerselvam

Chennai: “No true AIADMK cadre would have released a video of late Amma in such a condition”, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Monday, taking potshots at rebel T.T.V. Dhinakaran's supporter P Vettrivel who made public a video clipping of late J Jayalalithaa during her hospital stay. He was responding to a question on the video released by Vettrivel during an interaction with media at the AIADMK headquarters here on Monday along with his deputy O Panneerselvam. OPS, who chaired the cabinet meetings when Jayalalithaa was admitted in Apollo Hospitals for 75 days in 2016, reiterated that none of the ministers, including him, were given access to the late chief minister during her treatment.

“No minister met Amma (Jayalalithaa). The nurse used to go... they (Sasikala and family) used to go”, he said and alleged that the video released by Vettrivel had shown the departed leader in a poor light. Vettrivel had released a 20-second video clipping of Jayalalithaa sipping a beverage in her bed at the special room of Apollo Hospitals a day before RK Nagar went to the polls on December 21. Though AIADMK leaders accused Vettrivel of “defaming Amma,” he stood his ground saying he was forced to release the video some “lies were being peddled” by ruling party members and ministers about her hospital stay.

“We didn't go (to her room) out of good intention that she should not contract infection. We wanted her to return in good health... they (Sasikala) would come out and tell Amma is doing well, eating. We could only say okay...thank you… We were in grief that Amma was ill”, he said. “Let him release any video,” was the cryptic reply of Panneerselvam when asked to comment about Vettrivel's statement more videos that show that the ministers were aware of the treatment given to her would be released. 

Immediately after he rebelled against Sasikala in February after she removed him from Chief Minister's post, Panneerselvam had alleged that Sasikala and her family refused access to him and ministers of the AIADMK Government to Jayalalithaa. And several ministers also stoked controversy contradicting each other on whether they met Jayalalithaa in Apollo Hospitals.

He also recalled he had said in February that the people of the state wanted a probe into Jayalalithaa's death.  Following a patch-up between camps led by himself and Chief Minister K Palaniswami in August, the government constituted a one-person inquiry commission headed by Justice A Arumughaswamy to probe the circumstances leading to the September 22 hospitalisation and medical treatment provided to her till her death on December 5.