Deepa Jayakumar, J Jayalalithaa's niece, has made an official political entrance on the late Chief Minister's 69th birth anniversary today, as she had said she would a few weeks ago. Looking the part, resembling her aunt more and more each day, Deepa, wearing a royal purple saree wrapped around her shoulder, and addressing the press in the same calm and self-assured manner typical of Jayalalithaa, announced that she would contest the by-election from the RK Nagar seat left empty due to the former AIADMK supremo's death.
Deepa, who had joined hands with the O Panneerselvam faction of the AIADMK, after the split in the party and had assured support to "cleanse the party of family rule by V K Sasikala," on Friday, also launched what she called a federation -- MGR Amma Deepa Peravai.
It is not a political party, she insisted, and said it was a forum for the supporters of 'Amma' Jayalalithaa to come together and take forward her legacy through her good work. The MGR Amma Deepa Peravai flag, which was unfurled in front of the media, is black and red, and bears a picture of both MGR and Jaya.
Reiterating that “I am here because of the wish of the people and not on my volition,” she asserted that she would not, at any time, abandon those who had joined her.
“My objective is to work for the people on the path shown by Amma”, was her reply when asked whether the Chief Minister’s seat was the purpose of her entry into politics. When a scribe repeated the question in another way as to whether she was eyeing the post of Chief Minister in future, “People will decide about that.”
She went on to make it clear that she would contest the RK Nagar bypoll even if the OPS camp decided to field its own candidate.
Just a day before Deepa's planned press conference, her brother, Deepak Jayakumar, who unlike her has been a supporter of Sasikala, had given an interview to some TV channels, staking claim to the Poes Garden residence and other properties of their aunt, and opposing the handing over the leadership of the AIADMK to TTV Dinakaran and Dr S Venkatesh.
When asked about her reaction to her brother's remarks, Deepa said not only was the timing of his interview (ahead of her press conference planned for Jayalalithaa's birth anniversary) indicative of ulterior intentions, she plainly said the entire thing was "orchestrated by Sasikala" to keep Poes Garden in her control.