Jayalalithaa, the charismatic six-time chief minister of Tamil Nadu who ruled the political arena and the world of Tamil cinema alike for decades, died at Chennai’s Apollo Hospitals late on Monday night, plunging Tamil Nadu and her party, the AIADMK, into a political crisis. Ms Jayalalithaa, 68, breathed her last in the hospital’s ICU at 11.30 pm despite efforts to sustain her revival, the Apollo Hospitals said in a statement. She had been admitted there on September 22. “This is with indescribable grief that we announce the sad demise of our esteemed chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, at 11.30 pm today (05.12.2016),” Apollo Hospitals said in an official release. It said the Apollo Hospitals joins the nation and the people of Tamil Nadu in deeply mourning her loss.

A political veteran, Ms Jayalalithaa achieved a historic milestone on May 19, 2016 when she led the AIADMK to a spectacular successive term on her reelection, a feat that was earlier achieved only by her mentor M.G. Ramachandran. A darling of the national media, Ms Jayalalithaa was hailed as an astute administrator and a shrewd politician, but her critics termed her arrogant and accused her of behaving like a monarch. Ms Jayalalithaa suffered a cardiac arrest Sunday evening and was put on ECMO support since then. The Apollo Hospitals has been issuing periodic health bulletins about the CM’s health, saying that she was very critical. An indication that the battle was lost and hopes began fading of a recovery came at around 3.30 pm when Dr Richard Beale, a British expert, issued a statement saying the situation was grave and everything that should be done to bring Ms Jayalalithaa out of the present situation was being done.

The CM was rushed to Apollo Hospitals on the night of September 22 and a medical bulletin issued the same night said she was being treated for fever and dehydration. As the uncertainty continued for days, the Apollo Hospitals rushed Dr Richard Beale, a world renowned intensivist specialist, to examine Ms Jayalalithaa, who developed an infection in her lungs. Later, a top-notch team from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi joined the team at Apollo Hospitals and Dr Beale. Together, the doctors drew a treatment plan that was continued till she suffered cardiac arrest on Sunday evening.

The treatment plan had worked to a great extent and this was evident from a statement issued by Dr Beale Monday afternoon in which he said he was “like everyone … been most encouraged by how well she had been doing”. Ms Jayalalithaa entered politics in 1983 on the prodding of her mentor in the film industry, the legendary M.G. Ramachandran, and was made the powerful propaganda secretary of the AIADMK. Within a year, she became the party’s face in national politics after being elected to the Rajya Sabha.

During her stint in the Rajya Sabha, Ms Jayalalithaa developed a good working equation with then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and she was the virtual number two in the AIADMK after her mentor MGR’s death in the winter of 1987. Though Ms Jayalalithaa lost the initial battle with MGR’s widow Janaki Ramachandran, she bounced back within a year’s time, after which Ms Ramachandran quit politics.

Ms Jayalalithaa became chief minister of Tamil Nadu in June 1991 and her first five-year tenure between 1991 and 1996 was marred by allegations of corruption. After a five-year lull, she bounced back in 2001 though she did not contest the Assembly polls and became CM for the second time, though her tenure was interrupted due to a court ruling. After her victory in the 2011 Assembly elections, Ms Jayalalithaa catapulted the party as the eternal biggest outfit in Tamil Nadu and ensured that power does not go away from her.

Vandana

Deptt. Of Communicative English with Media Studies

Patna Women’s College

  jayalalithaa, This was a life