Saying that he did not trust either Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami or O. Panneerselvam when it came to an inquiry into the death of Jayalalithaa, DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Thursday called for a CBI enquiry and said that the State cabinet should resign to ensure a fair investigation.
In a statement, Mr. Stalin – also the Leader of Opposition – called the Chief Minister’s announcement about the inquiry an eyewash. “Whoever cooperated to hide evidence regarding Jayalalithaa’s death – either O. Panneerselvam or E. Palaniswami – in the last eight months should resign,” he said adding that the cabinet must go.
Mr. Stalin said that the inquiry announced was designed to fool the people. “Form a new cabinet and let that cabinet order a CBI inquiry into her death,” he said.
In a statement, Mr. Stalin alleged that Mr. Panneerselvam as well as Mr. Palaniswami were complicit in the current state of affairs. He pointed out that, at various points in time, both individuals could have ordered an inquiry into Jayalalithaa’s death but failed to do so. “They waited this long to ensure the destruction of evidence. Not just these two, but other ministers are also complicit,” Mr. Stalin alleged.
Mr. Stalin called Mr. Panneerselvam’s ‘ dharma yudham’ a staged play; he said that Mr. Palaniswami was swimming in a sea of corruption. “From September 22 to December 5, 2016, Mr. Panneerselvam handled the Chief Minister’s responsibilities. Mr. Panneerselvam and Mr. Palaniswami were among the leading ministers when Jayalalithaa was the CM. They jointly concealed the mysteries concerning the former Chief Minister’s health,” Mr. Stalin alleged.
‘Move to please BJP’
He said that Mr. Panneerselvam had held various responsible positions including standing in for the CM since October 11, 2016. He was still CM, when on February 6, 2017, Dr. Richard Beale detailed the treatment given to Jayalalithaa. “He resigned on February 5; knowledge dawned on him on February 7 when he meditated at the Marina for 40 minutes. He said that there would be an inquiry into her death but there were no orders till Mr. Palaniswami’s cabinet was sworn in on February 15,” said Mr. Stalin.
The Opposition Leader also blamed the government. “This is a government which has turned down all demands for a fair investigation by claiming that the matter was pending before the courts. This, despite Justice Vaidyanathan of the Madras High Court raising doubts over Jayalalithaa’s death,” said Mr. Stalin.
DMK’s Rajya Sabha member T.K.S. Elangovan said that the government’s decision to declare Jayalalithaa’s house as a memorial was intended to please the BJP. “The BJP wants them to eliminate Sasikala’s family from politics. They currently occupy the Poes Garden residence. This move will evict them,” he said.
