AIADMK Leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa died shortly before
midnight on Monday Dec 05,2016 after being in hospital since Sep 22,2016,
plunging millions of her party cadres and followers into grief. She was
68.
J Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to Apollo Hospital on September 22,2016 for
treatment of fever and dehydration, appeared to have recovered enough to
be shifted from critical care to an independent room about a fortnight
ago. On Sunday afternoon Dec 04,2016, however, she suffered a setback after a
cardiac arrest and was back in intensive care.
Announcing her death, a bulletin from Apollo Hospital said, “The Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister died here today following an extended illness. She
was 68.”
According to a press release from the Apollo Hospitals, where she was
admitted due to fever and dehydration, she died at 11.30 pm. She
suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening and was put on life support
system. She succumbed despite intensive treatment.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa was shifted
back to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Apollo Hospitals in Chennai
after she suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening. She is on
extracorporeal membrane heart assist device, said Apollo Hospitals in a
tweet late on Sunday night. The hospital also said that Dr. Richard
Beale, was consulted again and he concurred with the line of treatment.
J Jayalalithaa, who led the AIADMK to a resounding victory in the May 2016
Assembly elections, is the third Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to die in
harness - the other two were CN Annadurai, founder of the DMK, and MG
Ramachandran in Dec 1987, who was Jayalalithaa’s political mentor.
Her body was taken to her residence in Poes Garden in the heart
of the city for traditional rituals before being taken to Rajaji Hall
at dawn, where it lay in state
A seven-day mourning period has been announced in the state. The Chief
Minister’s body is lying in state at Rajaji Hall for people to pay
tribute. She will be laid to rest next to her political mentor MGR's
memorial at Marina Beach.
People cry as the body of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaraman is carried during her funeral procession in Chennai
TN's Acting Governor Vidyasagar Rao pays his last respects to Tamil Nadu's former Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa at Rajaji Hall
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays his last respects to Tamil Nadu's former Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa at Rajaji Hall
It is not unusual for politicians and leaders in India to get a sobriquet.
From
Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru to Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati and
Jayalalithaa- they all go by a name different given (gifted) by the
people, very different to their official names on paper.
In
present times, Mayawati is called Behenji while Mamata is Didi for her
supporters - both meaning sister. It is only Jayalalithaa, who is called
Amma - the mother.
In her
biography, Amma: Jayalalithaa's Journey from Movie Star to Political
Queen, noted journalist and writer Vaasanthi says that she was nicknamed
Ammu as a child.
Jayalalithaa
was only two, when her father died. To sustain the family, her mother
started working in films forcing Jayalalithaa to spend her childhood in
Bangalore with grandparents.
As
she continued her studies in Bangalore while her mother stayed in
Chennai for her work, Jayalalithaa craved to be with her own amma.
Being a bright student, who received several medals, Jayalalithaa wanted to be a lawyer.
But, while still in her teens, she was forced to take up career in films, first Kannada and then Tamil.
From films, she came to politics, for which she was groomed by MG Ramachandran.
AIADMK, the party whose leadership she fought for and won after the
death of her mentor and party founder MG Ramachandran in Dec 1987, and the party of
which she has been the undisputed supreme leader since 1989-90.
J Jayalalitha unified the AIADMK, which had split into two after
the death of the party’s founder,, and broke the glass ceiling in a
male dominated Dravidian political culture
In 1991 TN Assembly Election, J Jayalalithaa won a massive mandate in alliance with the Congress (I)
She started off well, but half-way through her term, she
got mired in controversies, including corruption charges, the
extra-constitutional power wielded by her close friend and confidante
Sasikala, and the lavish wedding of her foster son, a nephew of
Sasikala, to the granddaughter of thespian Sivaji Ganesan.
It was these corruption charges and cases that came back to haunt her
during her subsequent terms as Chief Minister. Even now, an appeal
against her acquittal by the Karnataka High Court in a disproportionate
assets case is before the Supreme Court.
In the initial years of her first term as Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa
was known for her extremely tough stand against the Sri Lankan Tamil
militant group LTTE, which was behind Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. In
the latter period of the term, she was besieged by corruption charges,
the extra-constitutional role played by her close friend and confidante
Sasikala and her family, so much so that Jayalalithaa frittered away the
massive mandate that she had got. Jayalalithaa was jailed on corruption
charges, fought a long-drawn-out court battle against them — a decision
on her acquittal is still pending before the Supreme Court — and each
time her detractors felt she was down on the mat, she would bounce back
with greater vigour
At
this point of time, Tamil Nadu was facing the major problem of female
foeticide and infanticide. To root out the problem, Jayalalithaa
launched 'Thottil Kuzhandhai' or 'The Cradle Baby Scheme' in 1992.
This proved to be a highly successful initiative, which was appreciated worldwide
Thousands of girls were saved across Tamil Nadu.
The Cradle Baby Scheme established an emotional connect between Jayalalithaa and the people of Tamil Nadu.
She was now Amma for her supporters and the people of state.
After
2011, Jayalalithaa started to build Brand Amma. She launched a series
of pro-poor schemes giving a message that she was there in the Chief
Minister's office for the welfare of people like a mother.
Brands like Amma Canteens, Amma Salt, Amma Pharmacy, Amma Cement, Amma drinking water were launched.
Latest
in the series was announced in September - Amma Marriage Halls, which
would be air-conditioned marriage halls for people from economically
weaker sections.
J Jayalalithaa portrayed herself as one fighting for the State’s rights. There were no
half-measures in whatever she did. Either you were with her or against
her. If there was one thing that Jayalalithaa had in abundance, it was
confidence in her ability
5 things about 'Puratchi Thalaivi' Jayalalithaa
1- Lowest salary as CM: She drew just Re 1/month
As a Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Amma only drew Re 1/month as salary.
Jayalalithaa had refused to accept her first salary cheque as Chief Minister.
On being told that she should receive a salary as public servant, she accepted a salary of Re 1.
2- She worked in Hindi film too
Jayalalithaa appeared in over 80 Tamil movies. However, she also did one Hindi movie, ‘Izzat’, opposite superstar Dharmendra.
3 - She took bath in public
Amma once attended the Mahamakam festival in Kumbakonam, the Kumbh Mela of South India.
Sections of the ghats where she was to have a ritual bath were cordoned off. Eventually there was stampede.
4- Featured in Guinness Book of World Records
Amma’s name featured in Guinness Book of World Records as in the year
1995, during her first term as CM, she organised a lavish wedding for
her ‘foster son’ Sudhagaran.
According to Guinness record, over 1,50,000 guests were invited to the wedding at a 50-acre ground in Chennai.
5- Jayalalithaa's first movie was ‘adult only’
Jayaalithaa first movie - Vennira Aadai - in 1965 was released as 'for adults only’. It was a blockbuster in Tamil cinema.
As she was only 15, she herself couldn’t watch her first movie
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