Maruthappa Natarajan, 75, husband of VK Sasikala, aide to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jalyalalithaa passed away in a private hospital in the early hours of Tuesday. He was admitted to the hospital last week following cardiac arrest and was on life support system since then.
According to the release issued by the hospital ‘every possible clinical attempt was made to sustain his revival. However, despite our best efforts he was unable to recover’.
Natarajan’s mortal remains were brought to his residence in Chennai’s Besant Nagar where a number of political leaders and cultural personalities paid homages to him. Natarajan, popularly known as MN, was a master strategist who played a major role in getting Sasikala elected as the general secretary of the AIADMK following the death of Jayalalithaa in December 2016.
Sasikala, who is serving a four-year term in Bangalore Prison following the Supreme Court upholding the trial court verdict in the disproportionate asset case in February 2017, could not be near her husband while he breathed his last. But she has been granted parole for 15 days.
By Tuesday, Natarajan’s body was taken to his village in Thanjaur where he would be creamated on Wednesday. MK Stalin, working president of the DMK, Dravida Kazhagam proprietor K Veeramani, MDMK leader Vaiko, Nanjil Sampath, who quit the Sasikala faction on Saturday and a host of Dravida outfit leaders had gathered at his residence to pay their last respects.
At the time of his demise, Natarajan was under a two-year prison sentence handed over by the Special CBI court in Chennai which was confirmed by the Madras High Court in November 2017. The case has to do with the import of a brand new lexus car by Natarajan in 1994 which caused the exchequer a loss of Rs 1.04 crore due to evasion of import duty.
The most touching tributes to Natarajan came from VS Chandralekha, former senior IAS officer who said that it was because of him that Jayalalithaa could become the Chief Minister. “Natarajan played a crucial role in elevating Jayalalithaa as the Chief Minister following the demise of MGR. That part of history could never be forgotten,” said Chandralekha who visited MN’s residence to pay floral tributes.
last October, Natarajan had undergone liver and kidney transplant and had recovered fully.