Film actress Gautami has voiced concern about the “secrecy and isolation” over the illness, treatment and eventual death of late Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, she sought Modi’s intervention in unravelling the truth relating to the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa’s death.
“Her demise is all the more tragic and unsettling because of the circumstances over the past few months and the sheer volume of unanswered questions about our late Chief Minister’s hospitalisation, treatment, reported recovery and very sudden passing. There has been a near total blanketing of information regarding these matters,” Gautami said in the letter, which she tweeted as well as posted on her blog.
She further said, “Nobody had been allowed access to her and many dignitaries who visited her with deep concern were denied an opportunity to convey their wishes in person. Why this secrecy and isolation of a beloved public leader and the head of the Tamil Nadu government? What/whose authority restricted access to the late Chief Minister? Who were the concerned persons who were making the decisions about Selvi Dr. J Jayalalithaa ji’s treatment and care when her health was apparently in such a delicate state? And who is responsible for these answers to the people? These and many other burning questions are being asked by the people of Tamil Nadu and I echo their voice in bringing them to your ears, sir.”
{{/usCountry}}She further said, “Nobody had been allowed access to her and many dignitaries who visited her with deep concern were denied an opportunity to convey their wishes in person. Why this secrecy and isolation of a beloved public leader and the head of the Tamil Nadu government? What/whose authority restricted access to the late Chief Minister? Who were the concerned persons who were making the decisions about Selvi Dr. J Jayalalithaa ji’s treatment and care when her health was apparently in such a delicate state? And who is responsible for these answers to the people? These and many other burning questions are being asked by the people of Tamil Nadu and I echo their voice in bringing them to your ears, sir.”
{{/usCountry}}Gautami said she was “very confident of getting a response from the prime minister and that the darkness over the entire issue would be removed.”
“I am not targeting anyone. Only that there are several unanswered questions that are troubling the masses and I am only giving my voice to them,” she told Hindustan Times.
Asked why she wrote to the prime minister and not authorities in Chennai, she said: “Why not the PM? He is the highest elected person in the country and I am asking about the highest elected person in my state.”
This isn’t the first time that questions have been asked about the late CM’s health.
Activist Trafic Ramaswamy had petitioned the Madras high court in October when Jayalalithaa was being treated at Apollo Hospitals, seeking details about her health. However, the petition was rejected as the court opined that Ramaswamy was seeking publicity through the PIL. Nevertheless, Traffic Ramaswamy maintained that the people had a right to know as she was a public servant.
“She is a Chief Minister, a public servant. The public has elected her and we have every right to know about her health. The people want to know who is running the government,” he told media after his petition was rejected.
DMK patriarch and chief, M Karunanidhi had also asked for a white paper on Jayalalithaa’s health, a demand that was pilloried by AIADMK leaders who counter attacked saying that they never asked anything about Stalin’s health and why he visits abroad regularly.