THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala government has declared a three-day official mourning from Tuesday following the demise of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha. Expressing condolence the State cabinet which met on Tuesday morning adjourned the session after observing silence.
As part of three-day mourning, all government programmes including the inauguration of the Haritha Kerala Mission will be conducted sans celebrations. All official programmes till Thursday will start with a condolence note.
In a resolution, the Kerala cabinet observed that Jayalalitha made a remarkable impact in Tamil Nadu politics with her sincere commitment to people and extraordinary administrative skills.
"She rose to be the 'Amma' of the masses through her many schemes of solace to the poorest of the poor in society. Blessed with a charismatic personality, she faced all challenges, be it personal, administrative or political with shrewd acumen. Standing up for Tamil Nadu’s rights, she immensely contributed in maintaining the State's federal status, as guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.
Jaya who always maintained good relations with Kerala, occupied a special place in the minds of Keralites. The arduous path she trod to reach the upper echelons of Indian politics, which is not very women-friendly, is highly inspiring. Her actions to ensure warm relations between the people of Kerala and Tamil Nadu could serve as a model. With her passing away, the country and the people have suffered an irreparable loss.
Kerala cabinet places on record its heartfelt condolence over the demise of Jayalalitha and expresses condolence to Tamil Nadu and its people," the resolution said.
The State government has declared a holiday for government offices and educational institutions on Tuesday following the death of Jayalalitha. Governor P Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will attend the funeral of the late Tamil Nadu CM to be held at Marina Beach at 4.30 PM