On December 4, 2016 evening, shortly before she suffered a massive cardiac arrest, former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa watched an episode of television serial Jai Veera Hanuman and asked for coffee and bun, says her former aide V.K. Sasikala in the affidavit submitted by her before the Justice Arumughaswamy Commission, which is conducting a probe into Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation and death.
Sources privy to the affidavit told The Hindu that Sasikala has described in detail the happenings before Jayalalithaa suffered the cardiac arrest.
The affidavit says Jayalalithaa was propped up in bed at 4.20 p.m. with her legs stretched. She was wearing her spectacles and was watching Jai Veera Hanuman (there is no mention if it was a recorded episode). A nurse wheeled in a trolley containing coffee and bun near the bed. The television set was switched off through the remote control after the episode ended. When Sasikala was pushing the trolley closer to the bed, a lady doctor and the nurse were in the room while Dr. Ramesh Venkataraman was outside.
“Suddenly, Akka ’s [Jayalalithaa] body shook. Her tongue fell to the side. Her teeth clenched, Akka was trying to say something. I cried out, ' Akka, Akka !' She looked at me, both hands raised towards me. I supported her, laid her on the bed,” claims the affidavit.
Doctors immediately rushed into the room. “A doctor asked me to be next to Akka ’s ear and call out her name loudly. I called, ‘Akka, Akka!’ She looked at me, then closed her eyes.” Sasikala was asked by doctors to leave the room thereafter, says the affidavit.
Accuses Panneerselvam of surrendering to BJP
In the affidavit, Sasikala is learnt to have made charges against current Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, accusing him of “surrendering” to the BJP.
According to sources, Sasikala says in the affidavit that after his resignation and her subsequent election as AIADMK’s legislature party leader, Mr. Panneerselvam “surrendered before the Central government.” Later, “on seeing the Central government’s support for O. Panneerselvam, E. Palaniswami [Chief Minister] also joined with him.”
In the affidavit, she has named Vice President N. Venkaiah Naidu (then Union Minister) and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley among those who supposedly made comments on Jayalalithaa’s death.
The affidavit also names veteran AIADMK leaders, including Mr. Palaniswami.
A member of Sasikala’s legal team told The Hindu that an application might be moved before the Commission seeking to examine these individuals.
