Panneerselvam Meditates At Jayalalithaa Memorial
CHENNAI : J Jayalalithaa had told him that he should be Chief Minister if “anything should happen to her,” O Panneerselvam, who resigned as Tamil Nadu chief minister on Sunday to make way for AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala, said today.
Mr Panneerselvam had headed late in the evening to the Jayalalithaa memorial at Chennai’s Marina beach and sat alone with eyes closed in meditation for over half an hour before he made the revelation.
“I want to reveal some truths to the people of the country and members of the party, Amma’s aatma (spirit) has urged me to do so,” Mr Panneerselvam or OPS as he is known said, adding, “I came here because my conscience was pricking.”
He claimed that before she died Ms Jayalalithaa had told him in hospital that senior party leader E Madhusudhanan should take over as party general secretary and he, Mr Panneerselvam, should be Chief Minister.
Mr Panneerselvam was sworn in as chief minister hours after Ms Jayalalithaa died at a Chennai hospital on December 5. Days later Ms Sasikala, Ms Jayalalithaa’s long-time friend, took over as party general secretary and leaders of the party had been requesting her since to take charge as chief minister too.
On Sunday, at a meeting of party legislators, Mr Panneerselvam proposed Ms Sasikala’s name to lead them, confirming his status for a third time as a temporary chief minister. He played that role twice when J Jayalalithaa had to step down as chief minister over corruption charges, never using her room or chair.
Mid way through her 75 days in hospital, the state governor had asked Mr Panneerselvam, as the most senior minister, to take charge of the eight ministries Ms Jayalalithaa handled personally and hold cabinet meetings. He reverentially placed a photograph of his leader before him at these meetings.
The AIADMK has said that Ms Sasikala is likely to be sworn in as chief minister on Thursday.J Jayalalithaa was buried on December 6 next to her mentor MG Ramachandram at Marina, the world’s second longest beach.
