CHENNAI: AIADMK rebel and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam warned legal action against Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Secretary J Radhakrishnan for his statement that Panneerselvam was informed of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s health.
Addressing the gathering at the end of the dawn-to-dusk fast at Rukmani Street here, Pannerselvam said, “I will file a case, if he (Radhakrishnan) did not retract his statement claiming that we were informed about Jayalalithaa’s possible demise.” The protest demanding judicial probe into Jayalalithaa’s death attracted a crowd of nearly 3,000.
During his speech, Pannerselvam also hit back at health minister C Vijayabaskar who earlier said Panneerselvam would be enquired first if a judicial probe was initiated.
“I was the one who first sought a probe and Vijayabaskar will be first to be get convicted once the truth surfaces through enquiry,” he told.
Reiterating his earlier stand opposing V
K Sasikala’s family taking over the AIADMK, Pannerselvam said Jayalalithaa never wanted a family rule in the party and government. “However, a single family has now taken complete control of AIADMK and ‘dharma yutham’, which began after Jayalalithaa’s death, will continue until justice triumphs,” he added.
He also claimed that he was never allowed to see Jayalalithaa when she was in Apollo Hospitals and Sasikala never gave a ear to his repeated pleas to shift Jayalalithaa abroad.
The crowd, although subdued, stayed all through the day listening to what the rebel leaders had to say. All the banners and posters at the venue had pictures of Jaya in the casket and the song ‘Enge Sendrai Engal Amma’ was played on giant LED screens.
Everyone were taken by surprise when Pannerselvam arrived at the scene an hour before the schedule.
Stirring a fresh row, senior leader P H Pandian said nearly 5,000 men were brought into Chennai during the last stages of jallikattu protests and there was a possibility of some of these men donned police uniforms and resorted to violence. His speech suggested that Sasikala and her family could have had a hand.