JAYALALITHAA’S DEATH TO BE PROBED, HOUSE TO BECOME MEMORIAL >>
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palanisami ordered on Thursday a judicial investigation into the death of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and said her sprawling Poes Garden bungalow will be converted into a museum and memorial.
He said a retired high court judge will investigate the circumstances and prolonged hospitalization of Jayalalithaa before her death last December.
Details of the probe, its scope and name of the former judge would be announced later.
The announcement is viewed as a reconciliatory signal from the ruling camp to rebel leader O Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS, who ruled the state till early February after party supremo Jayalalithaa’s death. OPS wanted an inquiry into Jayalalithaa’s death and this remains his top condition for a merger between the two AIADMK factions.
The steps are considered significant in the growing push to unite the two groups as the chief minister reaffirmed a promise made by his ousted predecessor. During his short stint, OPS had declared that Veda Nilayam, 81, Poes Garden in Chennai — the state’s power address for close to three decades — would be converted into a public museum.
But his wish got tossed away in the state’s political turbulence. The AIADMK split as long-time Jayalalithaa aide VK Sasikala took over the reins of the party in a bitter power struggle and handpicked Palanisami as chief minister. Sasikala’s dreams too were dashed as the Supreme Court convicted her of corruption.
The OPS camp welcomed the announcements as a step in the right direction. “We wholeheartedly welcome the decision of the CM to turn Veda Nilayam into a museum,” said KP Munusamy, a senior rebel leader. He said a CBI probe would have been better than a judicial inquiry to ferret out the truth more effectively. Senior ministers hoped the merger could take place anytime.