Chennai: With various ministers in the State government giving out varying versions of what purportedly transpired during their boss Jayalalithaa’s treatment at the Apollo Hospital, the Justice A. Arumughaswamy Commission set up to probe her death may have a tough time arriving at the correct conclusion through this confusing maze of contradictions.
Forest minister Dindigul Sreenivasan did the ‘muhurat’ for this latest political blockbuster by using the Anna birth anniversary podium at his native town on September 15 to launch a blistering attack on Sasikala accusing the ‘Family’ of manipulating Jayalalithaa’s treatment and preventing access to the VIP visitors —Arun Jaitley, Governor Vidyasagar Rao and Rahul Gandhi — to ensure she did not tell them the truth about her hospitalisation. Only Sasikala and family had access to Amma while all the AIADMK leaders and even ministers were kept out during the entire period of hospitalisation (72 days), he said.
“We could have got her the best treatment and medicines available anywhere in the world, but they (Sasikala & family) allowed the ailment to get complicated so as to force a natural death”, said minister Sreenivasan, virtually accusing the ‘Family’ of conspiracy and murder.
The minister hopped several steps higher a couple of days later while at a public rally in Madurai, telling the huge audience that he and his cabinet colleagues peddled the ‘lies’ handed out by Sasikala that Amma ate idlies and chutney — just to tell the people all was well with the ex-CM — only out of fear for the ‘Family’ and not because that was the truth.
“We (ministers) now tender public apology for our lies”, he announced, dramatically lifting his two hands in a huge vanakkam.
Tourism minister Vellamandi N. Natarajan repeated the ‘access denial’ charge when he told reporters on Tuesday that Sasikala did not permit anyone to see Amma. “The truth is that none of us saw Jayalalithaa during that period of hospitalisation. We only saw her body when it was brought out of the hospital lift on December 4 night”, said the minister, even as rebel chief Dhinakaran is insisting that his aunt Sasikala had personally shot the video of Amma watching TV in her Apollo ward after ICU stint.
Commercial taxes minister K.C. Veeramani too spoke in much the same way as colleagues Sreenivasan and Natarajan, even going a step further questioning why despite being her close friend, Sasikala had chosen not to take Amma for proper treatment abroad.
If one thought that the state cabinet was speaking in one voice on this issue - albeit short of etiquette desired for the Justice Arumughaswamy Commission to make a comfortable start - there was a ‘shocker’ in Cooperation minister Sellur K. Raju’s proclamation: “All of us, ministers, saw Jayalalithaa when she was undergoing treatment at Apollo. This is the truth”. That was before the TV cameras at a government function in Chennai’s Kilpauk. No doubt all this is sweet music to the Opposition. Stalin referred to the conflicting versions from ministers and reiterated his demand for a CBI probe into Jaya’s death. PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss too said the same thing.
