Thousands Mourn the Death of “Amma” J. Jayaram

Following a sudden cardiac arrest on Sunday evening, Jayalalithaa had been in a critical condition.

A visionary leader full of guts and courageous, she has left a huge void in Tamil Nadu and Indian politics. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was under treatment in the Apollo Hospitals since September 22, due to lung infection. So did much of Tamil Nadu, a state where Jayalalithaa – Amma to her followers – was revered by millions.

On the proposal of Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Haribhau Bagade, all the leaders of all political parties mourned the death of Jayalalithaa by keeping two-minutes silence in the house.

People wailed and displayed dramatic emotions, beating their chests and heads.

Bollywood and Tamil actors praised the former thespian Jayalalithaa and expressed sorrow over her passing.

Tamil Nadu is no stranger to populist schemes. “On behalf of the USA, I extend my deepest condolences to the family of Jayalalithaa and the people of Tamil Nadu”.

Extra police have been deployed in the state amid fears of unrest.

Tamil Nadu has declared a week-long mourning, during which schools and colleges will be shut for three days.

Remembering the AIADMK leader, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan observed that she always kept special relations with the people of Kerala.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by Jayalalithaa’s death. “May her soul rest in peace”, Modi said on Twitter. As per the secret game plan, Sasikala reportedly told the hospital authorities to delay the announcement of Amma’s death who had expired by 11 pm on Monday. The doctors tried their level best to save the CM but they couldn’t. Yes, doctors say Jayalalitha death is not a normal one. Every possible clinical attempt was made to sustain her revival. Before entering politics, Jayalalithaa was a renowned actress and holds the record for having been the Tamil actress with maximum silver jubilee hits in her career. Her supporters praised her efforts in fighting rural poverty with handouts like laptop computers for students, cows and goats for farmers, and spice grinders for homemakers.

Jayalalithaa’s gifts to the poor and her lavish lifestyle raised questions on where the money was coming from. She would go on to serve four more times. Jayalalithaa made him the Revenue Minister. “She was totally dedicated to the welfare of the people and was dearly loved by her people”, Sirisena said in his message.

Several of her supporters resorted to self-harm when she was briefly jailed in 2014 on charges of corruption. While Sasikala stood beside the body, state ministers led by Panneerselvam were seen sitting by her feet. The state ranked fourth in terms of FDI after Delhi, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

She called Jayalalithaa “a great role model … a woman with a lot of power, a woman who could achieve what she had in her mind”. Her brother died in the early 1990s.