The fight for legacy and estates left behind by late AIADMK supremo and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa took an ugly turn on Sunday with her niece Deepa Madhavan Patrick, accompanied by her husband Madhavan Patrick and supporters trying to enter Veda Nilayam, the house where the late leader lived for more than four decades.
Jayalalithaa had not left any will. After the passing away of Jayalalithaa, her close aide VK Sasikala continued to stay there and was using the fleet of high end cars owned by the former Chief Minister. Though senior AIADMK leader Ponnaiyan had declared that Jayalalithaa had nominated Sasikala as her legal heir, Ponnaiyan jumped fence and declared his support to former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam.
Deepa, who had floated a political outfit MAD Party (MGR Amma Deepa Party), had claimed that she was the legal heir of the late leader and the Veda Nilayam bungalow belonged to her and Deepak, her brother.
She told reporters on Sunday that she came to Veda Nilayam because Deepak had asked her to come. The private guards employed by Sasikala and TTV Dinakaran to take care of the house did not allow Deepa to enter the sprawling mansion.
The gates of Veda Nilayam resembled a big drama stage with Deepa displaying some theatrics for the benefit of the assembled media team. She alleged that some forces in the AIADMK were trying to murder her to get rid of her before she stake any claim to the building.
Interestingly, while the Sasikala and Panneerselvan factions are fighting it out in the open for the control of the AIADMK, Jayalalithaa’s niece has confined her claims only to the properties owned by the departed leader.
The imposing building, worth more than hundred crores had become a bone of contention between the two factions of the AIADMK. While Panneerselvam faction wanted to declare Veda Nilayam and the fleet of vehicles as a national museum in memory of Jayalalithaa, the Amma faction led by Sasikala is yet to make any announcement. Sasikala and her relatives had established their “command” over the building with the aid of Chennai Police.