Even as cyclone Vardah which made a landfall in Chennai on Monday left a trail of death and destruction and the city remained devastated by Tuesday, Veda Nilayam, the imposing house of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who passed away last Monday remained a beehive of activities.
Many prominent personalities including the owner of an English daily which has CPI(M) and Islamist leanings called on Sasikala Natarajan, ‘to share their sorrow over the passing away of the former CM’ and to pay obeisance to her close aide for the last three decades.
The proprietor of the English daily is a close associate of Sitaram Yechury, the CPI(M) general secretary and may play the role of a king maker during the 2019 lok Sabha election in forging an alliance between the AIADMK and the lefts.
Though pronounced as a visit to pay obeisance to the late CM’s memory, the body language of all those who are calling on Sasikala is that of reverence, servility and sycophancy, said a veteran commentator.
“The AIADMK is a spiritual party and we had good rapport with Amma (Jayalalithaa). We would like to continue the good ties with Chinnamma also,” said Arjun Sampath, president, Hindu Makkal Katchi, who called on Sasikala on Tuesday. “We feel Chinnamma should take over the leadership of the party. TN Government decided to implement the UDAY scheme launched by the Narendra Modi Government only at the initiative of Chinnamma. She has been counselling late Amma on all major issues,” said Sampath.