Sasikala ‘Fed Slow Poison’ to Jayalalithaa, Says AIADMK Minister

A commission was set up by the TN government after several leaders had raised concerns about Jayalalithaa’s death.

File photo of Jayalalithaa with her close aide VK Sasikala (background).

(Photo: Reuters)

AIADMK’s Dindigul C Srinivasan has accused J Jayalalithaa’s aide VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran of “feeding slow poison” to the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the Hindustan Times reported.

Srinivasan reportedly made the accusations during a party function on Saturday, 10 November. The video of him accusing Sasikala was circulated a day after.

Srinivasan alleged that Sasikala overlooked Jayalalithaa’s diabetes and fed her a wrong diet.

“Just like feeding slow poison, they (Sasikala and family) fed food items which were not conducive to Jayalalithaa’s health and which eventually led to the death of our leader.”

Dindigul C Srinivasan, as reported by <i><a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/jayalaithaa-slowly-poisoned-to-death-by-sasikala-with-unsuitable-food-alleges-aiadmk-minister/story-IyKNIgM5rO73a26ORJC5AK.html">Hindustan Times</a>.</i>

He also accused Dhinakaran, leader of the AIADMK rebel faction, of threatening party workers by misusing Jayalalithaa’s bond with Sasikala. “When Jayalalithaa was alive, Sasikala assisted the former in her daily routine. Misusing that proximity, Dhinakaran used to threaten AIADMK workers. However, such strategies will not work now,” he is purportedly heard saying in the video.

On Saturday, Deputy Assembly Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman also hinted at a conspiracy in Jayalalithaa’s death while talking to party workers in Thoothukudi. He said that “someone” had refused to let Jayalalithaa be taken abroad for treatment.

“We were ready to shift our leader to foreign countries for providing treatment. If Jayalalithaa was treated abroad, she could have been saved. The Arumugasamy commission inquiring into Jayalalithaa’s death will reveal who had prevented from taking ‘Amma’ (Jayalalithaa) to foreign countries for treatment.”

Pollachi V Jayaraman, Deputy Assembly Speaker, as reported by <i><a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/jayalaithaa-slowly-poisoned-to-death-by-sasikala-with-unsuitable-food-alleges-aiadmk-minister/story-IyKNIgM5rO73a26ORJC5AK.html">HT</a></i>

Responding to the accusations, Raja Sendoor Pandian, a counsel for Sasikala, called these statements inappropriate. He told Hindustan Times:

“When the Arumugasamy judiciary commission was formed, as counsel of Sasikala, I urged people who are having any information to appear before the commission and raise their queries. However, the minister is speaking about it in his party meeting. This seems to be an act of insulting the commission formed by the TN government.”

The state government had set up a judicial commission, headed by retired Madras High Court judge Justice A Arumugasamy, to investigate into Jayalalithaa’s death. The AIADMK supremo died at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on 5 December 2016.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times.)