CHENNAI:
J Jayalalithaa's aide Sasikalaa took centre stage on Tuesday as she stood close to the late leader's body at
Rajaji Hall
, reviving memories of M G
Ramachandran's death in 1987. At that time, Jayalalithaa was seen next to the
AIADMK founder's body for hours together.
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While Jayalalithaa did not have too many supporters within the party next to her then, Sasikalaa's relatives stood close to her on Tuesday .This was probably the first time the family members were seen at a public event together.
While mourners, including VIPs, were escorted to one side of the body, the other side was filled with Sasikalaa's extended family . Standing slightly afar was her husband M Natarajan.He was seen interacting with national leaders, shaking hands with Rahul Gandhi. Earlier in the day, PM
Narendra Modi greeted Natarajan and exchanged a few words with him before walking off to console Sasikalaa.
Sasikalaa's sister-in-law Ilavarasi and her son Vivek Jayaraman, CEO of Jazz Cinemas, stayed close to Sasikalaa.Dr Shivakumar, another relative a personal physician of Jayalalithaa, was seen standing on the other side. T T V Dinakaran, once a confidante of Jayalalithaa and a former MP from Periyakulam, made an appearance. He had disappeared from public gaze after he lost the 2004 LS election.
Three decades ago, Jayalalithaa was forced to leave the vehicle carrying AIADMK leaders at the start of the funeral procession of MGR. On Tuesday , Sasikalaa sat in the Army vehicle. O Paneerselvam was also in that vehicle.