Remembering the former Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, at a condolence meeting organised by the Nadigar Sangam on Sunday, actor Rajinikanth recalled his speech during the 1996 Assembly elections, which he said, had greatly upset her.
“She was very distressed with my public speech at that time and my speech had affected her party’s chances of victory. Years later, I wanted to invite her for my daughter’s wedding and initially wondered if she would meet with me because of what had transpired,” the actor said.
Stating that not only was he immediately granted an appointment to meet with her, he said that Jayalalithaa also attended the wedding. “She had a golden heart and had set an example as to how to lead life,” he said. The actor further said that the former Chief Minister overcame challenges throughout her life and said that she had emerged as a ‘diamond’ in a male-dominated society.
During the 1996 elections, the actor had said “Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if AIADMK returns to power”. While Sunday was the superstar’s birthday, he had asked his fans not to celebrate it. The condolence meeting which was organised by the Nadigar Sangam saw several members of the Tamil Film fraternity pay their respects to Jayalalithaa and journalist Cho Ramaswamy.
Veteran actress Sacchu and friend of Jayalalithaa also spoke. Actors Sivakumar, Jiiva, Vadivelu, Manobala, Ambika and Radha were among those present.
