Consulted with officers on Jayalalithaa's treatment, says O Panneerselvam
THOOTHUKUDI: Thiru. O Panneerselvam, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister popularly known as OPS, said even when he was in power as he doubted some of the treatment methods given to the former chief minister, Dr J Jayalalithaa, he had consulted the same with some the highly placed state officers.
Responding to the complaint of the DMK working president M K Stalin and the leaders of the AIADMK (Amma) faction about his contrasting attitude, when in power and out of it towards the issue of Ms. Jayalalithaa’s demise, Mr OPS said at Thoothukudi on Wednesday that he had doubts even when he was in power about the treatment given to the AIADMK general secretary at Apollo hospitals.
“I too consulted with some of my officers about some of the treatment methods on which I had doubt,” said the AIADMK (PTA) faction leader, who however, did not name either the officers or the department to which they belonged.
“Initially we believed what the doctors told us; however, we now demand enquiry into the death of Amma as the party cadres and public are not convinced with the doctors’ version on the issue,” explained OPS, who brushed aside Mr. Stalin’s criticism against him in the issue saying, “It’s not surprising that he makes such strange expletive allegations that no other leader thinks of .”
Mr OPS, however, mildly rejected the criticism of the union minister, Pon Radhakrishnan that neither the present Edappadi Palanisamy government nor the one led by Panneerselvam before or the DMK in its previous rule had done good to the farmers. Mr. Panneerselvam just said that he had taken all measures necessary to compensate the drought-hit farmers.
Former state school education minister, Ma Foi K Pandiarajan and the MLA of ADMK (PTA) faction, who too accompanied O Panneerselvam, said that the Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy should tour the state extensively to understand the real sentiments of the people and theparty cadres.
Adding that the AIADMK (PTA) faction still favours the talks for merger if their conditions for the talks were fulfilled, Pandiarajan denied that his faction has dissolved the committee constituted to hold peace talks with AIADMK rival faction.
