Sasikala's husband Natarajan pays respects to JayalalithaaChennai: The strong presence of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's confidante Sasikala and her husband Natarajan at the CM's funeral has strengthened the rumors over the family taking claim over the ruling AIADMK.
The conspicuous presence of Natarajan during the funeral of Jayalalithaa has lent credence to many possibilities that could unravel in the coming days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-presidetRahul Gandhi had a chat with him during the function.
When Jayalalithaa was alive, Natarajan was an outcast of sorts and he never had entry into Poes Gardens, where the former CM and Sasikala lived. Even party members were instructed not to have any relationship with Natarajan, who however became active when Jayalalitha was admitted to a hospital. When he played a very significant role at Rajaji Hall, where Jaya's body lay in state, he obviously became the center of attention. The presence of other relatives at the funeral were also conspicuous.
The engrossing tale of Jaya-Sasikala bonding
During Jaya's initial days in politics, there were talks that it was Natarajan who pulled the strings through Sasikala to help Jayalalithaa ascend higher rungs in the political ladder. When Jayalalithaa became chief minister in 1991, Sasikala got the opportunity to hold the strings of power while providing her emotional and managerial support.
Over the years, charges of corruption surfaced one after another, most of which had direct involvement of Sasikala's family.
A disproportionate asset case against Jaya, Sasikala and others was annulled by the High Court, which was later appealed by the Karnataka government and is under the consideration of the Supreme Court. There were two other cases against Jaya. The CBI has appealed against a HC order ending a birthday-gift case. Another relates to Jaya submitting nominations from four different constituencies. With her death, all these charges against Jayalalithaa would stand annulled.
