ke
Tamilnadu
Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa
no more
no more
Senior AIADMK leader O. Pannirselvem will be the next chief minister of Tamilnadu.
"Some
TV channels are wrongly reporting that the Chief Minister is no more. This is totally baseless and false," a statement
from the hospital said, denying a Sun TV report that Jayalalithaa was no more.
The hospital
said Jayalalithaa, 68, who suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday, 4th
December 2016 evening, "continues to be on life support at the
hospital".
A large
number of doctors from Apollo and AIIMS continue to provide all life saving measures,
tweeted Sangita Reddy, Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals.
The
clarification came after the TV channel report triggered frenzy both outside
the hospital, where thousands had gathered since her cardiac arrest on Sunday
evening, and at the AIADMK headquarters.
A group of
emotionally charged AIADMK activists tried to barge into the hospital after
breaking the barricades but were pushed back. Many others broke down, unable to
check their emotions, loudly crying "Amma, Amma!" Some people hurled
water bottles at police.
At the
AIADMK headquarters in Chennai, the party flag was brought down to half mast
but was restored to its original position once the Apollo clarification came.
Inside,
hundreds of people wept on hearing the Sun TV report. "How can you leave
us?" cried one man. Earlier, Apollo said: "Despite our best efforts,
our beloved CM remains in a grave situation."
Richard
Beale from the London Bridge Hospital, who has been regularly consulted by
doctors in Chennai, said the situation for Jayalalithaa was "extremely
grave".
"I can
confirm that everything possible is being done to give her the best chance of
surviving (the cardiac arrest)," he added. Earlier, AIADMK MLAs,
apparently to pick a successor, trooped to the hospital, which has turned into
a virtual fortress with hundreds of police personnel trying to keep at bay the
thousands of Jayalalithaa fans.
An AIADMK
source told IANS that the MLAs were in a hall of the Apollo complex. There is
speculation that the party is looking at a successor to Jayalalithaa.
Crowds have
been gathering outside the hospital from Sunday evening.
Maharashtra
Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, who has additional charge of Tamil Nadu, visited
the hospital on Sunday night. But he did not issue any statement after his
hospital visit.
Security has
been stepped up across the sprawling state where actor-turned-politician
Jayalalithaa enjoys widespread support.
A large
number of people gathered outside the hospital were from the economically
weaker sections. Man broke down. Some men and women, their hands folded,
offered silent prayers.
Supporters
also flashed posters and photographs of Jayalalithaa, for decades the
undisputed leader of the AIADMK.
Special
prayers were offered in places of worships in Krishnagiri, Trichy, Tuticorin,
Erode, Kanchipuram, Dharmapuri, Sivaganga and Coimbatore for the Chief Minister
who was admitted to the hospital in September.
Apollo
Hospitals had days ago said she was on the road to recovery and she could take
a decision on going home.
As she
became critical on Sunday, some parts of Chennai experienced shortages of milk
as traders jacked up prices fearing a shutdown.
President
Pranab Mukherjee joined the political class in wishing Jayalalithaa a
"speedy recovery".
DMK chief M.
Karunanidhi and his son and party leader M.K. Stalin also conveyed their best
wishes for her recovery.
Congress
Vice President Rahul Gandhi said: "I hope she gets better very soon,"
said .
Chief
Ministers Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra,
Vasundhara Raje of Rajasthan counterpart also prayed for her soon recovery.
Meanwhile,
authorities in Kerala strengthened security on the border with Tamil Nadu.
Police were put on alert in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Idukki and Palakkad
districts that border Tamil Nadu.
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