Deepa Jayakumar, niece of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, has questioned the intention behind Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s sudden announcement that a commission of inquiry would be constituted to examine the circumstances leading to the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
She alleged that the Sasikala family was actually behind the move. In a press conference at her residence on Thursday evening, she said the decision to probe the death at this stage was made as he was under pressure to prove his government’s majority.
The announcement had been made in a hurry and was just an eye-wash. On the government’s proposal to convert Veda Nilayam, her aunt’s residence in to a memorial, she said: “I have and will definitely take legal steps regarding this. This kind of statement being made by the Chief Minister in his official capacity has come as a surprise. There is no doubt that Sasikala’s family is behind this move.”
She further said: “For madam Jayalalithaa, the only legal heirs are myself and my brother Deepak. We have not been consulted and they have no legal right to make this announcement without consulting us.”
On whether she had legal documents to her property, she said, “Veda Nilayam is my paternal grandmother Sandhya’s property. It is our ancestral property. It cannot be legally sold or bought by anyone else. It is our moral, legal and ethical right,” she said.
Until recently, Mr. Palaniswami had been maintaining that Sasikala was the political heir and he had even fallen at her feet. Now, he has suddenly changed tune and was demanding a judicial inquiry.
The party leaders and the government were unable to find solutions to the problems faced by the State and instead resorting to empty statements, she added.
On the former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam’s statement that both his demands had been met, she said he had no clarity of thought or explanation. “He called me and declared that I was the heir. He then retracted his statements several times. He is also interested only in position and taking over the party. His statements and movement has only reiterated that the Sasikala family is behind this move too,” Ms. Deepa said.
“I had raised my voice that as a blood relative I had not been allowed to visit my aunt and made to stand outside Apollo Hospitals for 75 days. There was no acknowledgement of all that I underwent but now the two factions have brought the fight to the streets and are destroying the party. They are also erasing the name and fame Amma had earned. It is a vile drama enacted for political gain,” she said.
She said any judicial inquiry will not be complete without her participation and cooperation. She also wanted all the employees of Poes Garden to be probed.
