OPS’s wife Vijayalakshmi passes away due to heart attack

Chennai/Theni: P Vijayalakshmi, wife of AIADMK coordinator and former chief minister O Panneerselvam and mother of Theni MP O P Raveendranath Kumar, died at a hospital in Chennai on Wednesday morning. The 66-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest at the hospital ward and could not be revived, doctors said. She had been undergoing treatment at GEM Hospital for cardiac diseases.

“She was stable. She returned to her bed after relieving herself in the morning when she had an arrest,” said a senior doctor treating her. The mortal remains of Vijayalakshmi were brought to OPS’s house in Periyakulam in Theni district by road. The final rites will be performed on Thursday morning. Chief minister M K Stalin, ministers and DMK leaders were among those to visit the hospital and offer condolences.

Expelled AIADMK leader V K Sasikala caused a flutter when she arrived at the hospital to offer condolences, leaving behind their political rivalry that began in early 2017 when she wanted to become the CM by replacing him. It had resulted in OPS launching the ‘dharmayutham’ against her. OPS’s daughter K Kavitha Banu received her and accompanied her to meet her father. Sasikala held Panneerselvam’s hands as he sobbed inconsolably. Sasikala spent nearly half an hour at the hospital in the presence of former AIADMK ministers and MLAs.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit, opposition leader and former CM Edappadi K Palaniswami, TNCC president K S Alagiri, PMK president S Ramadoss, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and Tamil Maanila Congress (M) president G K Vasan were among others who condoled the death of Vijayalakshmi. A BA graduate, she was among the four daughters and a son of Alagupandi Thevan and Valliammal, a farmer couple. A soft-spoken woman who married OPS on November 14, 1977 when he was AIADMK’s Periyakulam town secretary, she played the role of a supportive wife. Sources close to the family recalled that Vijayalakshmi was instrumental in maintaining a closely knit joint family of OPS, comprising his three younger brothers and as many sisters.

She took up the responsibility of the joint family which helped Panneerselvam scale the party ranks and become CM, deputy CM, finance minister and take up various other responsibilities. Vijayalakshmi preferred to prepare the favourite dishes of her husband herself and he enjoyed being served by her. The couple has two sons and a daughter, P Raveendranath Kumar, V P Jayapradeep and K Kavitha Banu. AIADMK cadres swarmed Panneerselvam’s house along with his relatives to arrange the final rites of Vijayalakshmi.