 "Jayalalithaa's body lies in Chennai at Rajaji Hall to enable public pay their homage")
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa died on Monday evening after suffering a cardiac arrest a day before. Jayalalithaa is the third chief minister of Tamil Nadu to die in office after C N Annadurai and M G Ramachandran.
Jayalalithaa’s body was moved from Apollo Hospitals to her Poes Garden residence early on Tuesday morning. After rituals her body was taken to Rajaji Hall in Chennai, where President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, and the chief ministers of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Puducherry, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh paid their last respects.
Besides, party leaders from Tamil Nadu and luminaries from the film world also paid their respects.
“She first entered the Rajya Sabha when I was leader of the House. All other battles she won, but perhaps everybody is to lose one battle and she has lost that. On many occasions I had interactions with her on subjects concerning development. She had a wonderful mastery over facts and theories,” Mukherjee said.
“Jayalalithaaji’s connect with citizens and concern for welfare of the poor, women and the marginalised will always be a source of inspiration. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Tamil Nadu in this hour of grief,” Modi said.
Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai, has come to standstill. Schools, offices and other institutions were closed on Tuesday. Public transportation was shut and roads were deserted, except the ones going towards Rajaji Hall and Marina Beach, where Jayalalithaa was buried later in the day.
Despite being an Iyengar brahmin, Jayalalithaa was buried in line with the atheistic beliefs of the Dravidian parties. Officials and the family of Sasikala, a close friend of Jayalalithaa’s, decided to bury her body with with sandalwood and rose water. Deepa Jayakumar, daughter of Jayalalithaa’s only brother Jayakumar, was not allowed to see her in hospital, according to earlier reports. However, Jayalalithaa’s nephew Deepak was doing the last ritual along with Sasikala.
Sasikala and her family members stood near Jayalalithaa’s body at all times, while O Panneerselvam, who took oath as chief minister on Monday night, managed the crowds. He rode the vehicle carrying Jayalalithaa’s body, as did Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Around 1-1.5 million people thronged Rajaji Hall on Tuesday within a few hours of Jayalalithaa’s death being announced. At 6.00 pm Jayalalithaa was buried with full state honours near her mentor MGR in Marina Beach.
