Senior Indian politician Jayalalithaa is 'healthy', her party asserts
Prominent Indian politician J Jayalalithaa is healthy, her party said on Saturday (October 1), dismissing rumours of her death.
"Amma (Jayalalithaa) is healthy. She needs rest as per doctors' advice and will return in good health," senior AIADMK leader and former minister P Valaramathi said.
Valaramathi also said Jayalalithaa, the chief minister of India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, was active and had announced her party's candidates for the upcoming civic polls.
She also attacked those responsible of spreading canards about her party leader's death. "Some jealous people are carrying out a wrong campaign to confuse people by spreading rumours," she said.
Jayalalithaa, who is the general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), was admitted to Apollo Hospitals on September 22 after complaining of fever and dehydration.
But Apollo Hospitals put up a statement about her health on Twitter a week after she was admitted to their Chennai facility.
Puratchi Thalaivi Amma responded well to the treatment,Amma has been advised a few days stay in the hospital for treatment - Apollo Hospital pic.twitter.com/zFKexZVm5I
— AIADMK (@AIADMKOfficial) September 29, 2016
Due to lack of state government reports, rumours started circulating about her health, with some people saying the 68-year-old leader had passed into a coma and was unlikely to recover.
The AIADMK IT cell today (October 1) said an Indian lady residing in France was booked for broadcasting false news about Jayalalithaa's death.
On September 29, Tamilachi had posted on Facebook: "I heard from reliable sources that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had passed away two days ago and I'm sharing this info with extreme courage. RSS tried to threaten her using disproportionate assets case but she did not abide. Makes me wonder if this could be the reason for her death."
Based on the complaint from AIADMK IT Wing Chennai Police files an FIR against a lady for spreading rumours about TN CM Amma's health.
— AIADMK (@AIADMKOfficial) September 30, 2016
Jayalalithaa's long-time bitter rival M Karunanidhi, who heads the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the other major party in Tamil Nadu, also urged people to put an end to the baseless rumours surrounding Jayalalithaa's health.
Meanwhile, a doctor from UK by the name of Richard John Beale, who is a Consultant Intensivist at the London Bridge Hospital, was flown in to check up on Jayalalithaa's health on Friday.
(WION with inputs from agencies)