E-Paper
2 held for spreading rumours about Jayalalithaa’s health
CHENNAI: Two men were arrested by the Chennai Crime Branch of police on Monday for spreading rumours on social media about ailing Tamil Nadu chief minister (CM)
CHENNAI: Two men were arrested by the Chennai Crime Branch of police on Monday for spreading rumours on social media about ailing Tamil Nadu chief minister (CM) J Jayalalithaa.
A criminal case of spreading rumours with intent to cause riot was registered against Satish Kumar, a software engineer who shared a speculative post on Facebook, and Madasamy, a mechanical engineer from Madurai who uploaded a fake audio track of several nurses at Apollo hospital speaking about the CM’s condition.
In total, 43 similar cases have been registered by members of the AIADMK IT wing, with police warning that those named could face up to seven years in prison.
Meanwhile, expelled AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Pushpa called for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into Jayalalithaa’s illness, and asked governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao to make sure her signature wasn’t being forged.
In a letter to Rao, the MP said that she fears “some people” around CM might forge her signature to nominate a deputy general secretary in her absence.
She also asked the Governor to verify Jayalalithaa’s signature “if any official communication came from her or any other person in this or any other regard”.
She also alleged that her aide Sasikala Natarajan was now “controlling” the day-to-day affairs of the government.
“CM Jayalalithaa, who was doing well, fell sick all of a sudden. A proper enquiry must be done into her health condition which deteriorated suddenly. It should be found out that whether she fell sick naturally and or was forced to become sick,” she said at a press conference.
She also demanded an enquiry into the CM’s close aide Sasikala Natarajan’s income and properties.
“In the name of CM, Sasikala is controlling all the officers in the state and trying to gain power within the party and the state machinery,” Pushpa said.
She also said that Tamil Nadu does not require a deputy CM as Jayalalithaa will return to power.
TWITTER CAMPAIGN
The AIADMK’s IT wing on Monday attempted to put an end to the rumours surrounding the six-time CM’s health, by asking supporters to change their profile pictures with the hashtag #MyCMisfine.
“All is well with Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, click this link, change your profile and put a full stop to rumours,” said a tweet.
KERALA GOVERNOR, CM VISIT APOLLO HOSPITAL
With Jayalalithaa continuing to receive treatment, a stream of high-profile visitors, including Kerala Governor P Sathasivam and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Monday visited the Apollo Hospital and enquired about her health.
The hospital, where the AIADMK general secretary was admitted on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration, said she was “constantly being monitored”.
“Prof Dr G Khilnani, Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), visited Apollo Hospital again on October 9 and 10 and examined Honourable Chief Minister,” the hospital’s Chief Operating Officer, Subbiah Viswanathan, said in a release.
Khilnani, part of a threemember AIIMS panel which had examined Jayalalithaa last week, had discussions with the hospital’s expert panel and “concurred with the present line of treatment” being given to the chief minister, the release said. Jayalalithaa continues to be under treatment and “is being constantly monitored by the intensivists and other consultants in the expert panel”, it added. Necessary respiratory support, antibiotics, nutrition, supportive therapy and passive physiotherapy were being given to her, the release said.
Earlier, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who visited the hospital on Sunday, described Jayalalithaa as a “fighter” and expressed confidence that she would continue to serve the people of Tamil Nadu.
“I am confident that she has a strong willpower and she is always a fighter. I am confident that she will fight back, become normal and continue to serve the people of Tamil Nadu and that is my wish,” he told reporters after making a “courtesy call” on Governor Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan.
(With inputs from agencies)
