Sasikala family responsible for Jayalalithaa's death: Senior AIADMK leader

Remark made during a political rally in Tamil Nadu

In a major political twist, a senior minister from the ruling faction of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party alleged that V K Sasikala's family was responsible for the death of Tamil Nadu's former chief minister, J Jayalalithaa.
 

Addressing a political rally, Tamil Nadu forest minister Dindigul C Sreenivasan said that the Sasikala family barred everyone from meeting the ailing CM on the grounds that contact could spread infection. The leader pointed that even state governor was not allowed to see Jayalalithaa. BJP President Amit Shah, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi were also denied meeting on the same grounds.

"The truth is that if somebody saw Jayalalithaa, they would have known the truth from Jayalalithaa about them (Sasikala and her family). Due to that fear, they did not allow anybody to see her. They were responsible for her (Jayalalithaa's) death," alleged the minister.

"For Jayalalithaa's disease, we would have brought medicines. The government was also ready to do that. They let the disease spread and waited for her (to die)," he alleged further.

The minister also alleged the Sasikala family wanted to contest in the R K Nagar by-election, which fell vacant after Jayalalithaa's death so that they can come to power.

In March, the same minister said that Jayalalithaa saw them and blessed them. He had also said that the iconic AIADMK leader gave the reason why she affixed her left thumb impression in the poll documents submitted by an AIADMK candidate.

The leader went on to question Sasikala, who was a close friend of Jayalalithaa for 32 years, for allegedly harbouring negative sentiments. He earlier came heavily on O Panneerselvam, former Chief Minister of the State, who then asked for enquiry on Jayalaithaa's death.

The minister also said that doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), along with a UK doctor treated her. "A week before her death also we met Jayalalithaa and she said she will meet people in one week," he said.

Her death was natural and she was not murdered, he had maintained then.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Edapaddi Palaniswami said that soon Dhinakaran will go to jail. He added, till Jayalalithaa was alive Dhinakaran never came to Chennai. He also said Dhinakaran's "dream" to bring down this government will not happen.