Jaya’s house to be made a memorial

An inquiry commission will be constituted to inquire into the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa last December, and her residence at Poes Garden in Chennai will be converted into a memorial.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced these decisions in separate press notes on Thursday.

In the press note on an inquiry commission, Edappadi said Jayalalithaa had been admitted in a city hospital for treatment but had died on December 5, 2016.

There has been varied speculation on her death by people and organisations. A retired high court judge will lead an inquiry commission and submit a report on her death, he said.

He also announced Jayalalithaa’s residence Veda Nilayam at Poes Garden will be converted into a memorial.

Significantly, Palaniswami appears to be taking steps to heal the rift within the ruling party by trying to arrive at a middle ground.

The breakaway faction led by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) had been demanding a CBI probe into the circumstances leading to the death of Jayalalithaa, who was also the general secretary of the AIADMK.

The OPS faction was also firm that VK Sasikala, who had taken over as the interim general secretary of the party, her nephew TTV Dhinakaran, whom she made deputy general secretary, and all her other family members should be removed from the party.

It also insisted that Sasikala and her relatives should not have any say in the running of the AIADMK.

Palaniswami and his cabinet colleagues had earlier stated that Dhinakaran does not have a say in the party and had been sidelined.

Dhinakaran is on a State-wide tour, addressing public rallies to show his strength with the support of nearly 20 AIADMK MLAs and seven MPs.

Ma Foi K Pandiarajan, a key member of the OPS camp, was the first to react to Palaniswami’s statement.

“Delighted to welcome two key moves by EPS to set up judicial enquiry into Amma's expiry and to convert Veda Nilayam into Memorial. Victory for OPS dharma yuddham. All three key demands by OPS met decisively. Time to transparently negotiate for merger,” he tweeted.

Apollo Hospitals welcomed the decision of the Tamil Nadu government to set up an inquiry commission into Jayalalithaa’s death.

The findings of the committee will put to rest all the unfounded speculation in this regard, it added.

PTI reports: The DMK said on Thursday the BJP, which has been wanting to spread its wings in Tamil Nadu, is prodding the CM to launch a probe. “Both the factions of AIADMK are taking turns to fall at the feet of the BJP. This step can be seen only as a move aimed at pleasing the BJP,” DMK leader TKS Elangovan said.

He added that when the DMK sought a judicial probe, Palaniswami had rejected it but now it has acted because of “pressure” from the BJP to sideline Sasikala.