After the news that Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa suffered a cardiac arrest was made public, thousands of shocked party cadre thronged the Apollo Hospitals where she has been undergoing treatment for over two months.
By 10 p.m., the AIADMK cadre began rushing to the hospital breaking the barricades placed by the police. Outside the hospital, women cadre were seen crying and the leaders were trying to calm them down saying that ‘Amma’ would recover.
A former councillor said the party cadre were all distressed after the news of cardiac arrest and hoped that she would recover soon. Another AIADMK leader said the cadre had been praying across the State for the past two-and-half months and their prayers would help Ms. Jayalalithaa to recover.
Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam was at the hospital as usual in the evening. All the top officials of the government, including Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao and Advisor to the government Sheela Balakrishnan were also at the hospital from the evening.
AIADMK workers and supporters outside the Apollo Hospitals, in Chennai on Sunday.
As it was a Sunday, many of the Ministers who were in their hometown started arriving one by one.
Later in the night, PWD Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami arrived. According to reports, the MPs were all asked not to travel to New Delhi but be here in the city. From Sunday evening itself, there were rumours that the Chief Minister’s health had deteriorated and that she was back in the ICU.
After the hospital bulletin said that she had suffered a cardiac arrest, many had cancelled or postponed their travel plans in and out of the city.
Police personnel were deployed in hundreds at the hospitals. By 11 p.m., police were asking for lathis, helmets and shields to prevent more cadre from entering the Greams lane. It was chaotic as cadre argued with police to let them in.
Niece denied entry
Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar who turned up at the hospital after hearing news about her health was denied entry leading to a fracas.
At one point, the AIADMK cadre asked her to leave and turned abusive. Deepa is the daughter of Ms. Jayalalithaa’s brother Jayakumar.
( With inputs from Dennis S. Jesudasan and T.K. Rohit )
