Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa very grave, on life support: Apollo

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and J Jayalalithaa continues to be on life support, the Apollo Hospitals in Chennai said on Monday evening after some TV channels reported that she has passed away. The AIADMK chief had suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening.

“The Apollo Specialists and Specialists from the AIIMS are continually monitoring the Hon’ble Chief Minister closely. Some TV channels are wrongly reporting that the Hon’ble Chief Minister is no more. This is totally baseless and false,” the hospital said.

Violence erupted outside Apollo Hospitals after rumours of Jayalalithaa's death started to spread in the evening. People, who were gathered outside the hospital to pray for the Chief Minister's health, started pelting stones at police officials deployed there to ensure peace and security.

Jayalalithaa, who has been under treatment at the hospital since September 22, continues to be on life support. 

UK-based Dr Richard John Beal, who had earlier flown in to examine the Chief Minister, was consulting the doctors on her health. The Centre too sent a team of top doctors in the country to assist the hospital on Monday, but despite their best efforts, Jayalalithaa showed no sign of improvement.

Fearing unrest, heavy security was deployed outside hospital and CRPF teams were put on high alert.

Fondly known as ‘Amma’ by her followers, Jayalalithaa was born on 24 February 1948, at Melukote, in Mandya district, which was then a part of then in Mysore State.

Hailed as 'Puratchi Thalaivi' (Revolutionary Leader), Jayalalithaa had assumed office for the sixth time as Chief Minister in May 2016, beginning a new chapter in her chequered political career spanning over three decades.

A leader known for her grit and determination, she had proved her detractors wrong when she steered AIADMK to power for a second consecutive term in the May 2016 Assembly polls. Though she had to quit twice over corruption cases, she managed to make a dramatic come back.

A peep into her political career beginning 1982 would go to show that she faced intense and protracted struggle to eventually head AIADMK overcoming the animosity of rival camps led by the leaders including then Minister in the MG Ramachandran cabinet, RM Veerappan.

She successfully contested the Tamil Nadu Assembly election in 1989 from Bodinayakkanur and became the first woman leader of opposition in the House.

Altogether, she was sworn in as CM five times (1991-96, May-Sept 2001, 2002-06, 2011-14, 2015-16.

As a teen starlet, Jayalalithaa made her film debut in CV Sridhar-directed 'Vennira Aadai' (white dress) in 1965, and went on to become one of the most popular actress of that era. In 28 films, she was paired with matinee idol MGR who later became her political mentor and in 1982 inducted her into AIADMK which he founded.