Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is "responding adequately" to treatment that includes respiratory support and antibiotics, according to a letter issued by Apollo Hospitals-Chennai on Monday. It added that she has been advised to stay at the hospital for further treatment.
Moreover, a public interest litigation seeking a detailed report about the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief's health was filed in the Madras High Court, PTI reported on Monday. The PIL also demanded that photographs of the leader's meeting, reportedly held with her cabinet ministers in the hospital, be released. Critics have accused government authorities of releasing very little information about her health.
Social activist “Traffic” Ramaswamy submitted the petition on Monday, saying the people of Tamil Nadu wanted to know how their 68-year-old chief minister was doing. Officials said the court will hear the PIL on Tuesday. Ramaswamy also alleged that state police personnel had blocked roads to the hospital where Jayalalithaa was being treated, thereby inconveniencing other patients. However, the hospital released a statement on Monday evening saying it was "completely functional" and patients can visit the facility at any time.
Meanwhile, officials told NDTV that a team of six was managing state administration while the chief minister was undergoing treatment. Jayalalithaa holds most of the decision-making powers in the Tamil Nadu government’s centralised structure. Four private secretaries, who report to Chief Secretary P Rama Mohana Rao, reportedly monitor the functioning of 54 government departments. The chief minister's aide Sasikala Natarajan and senior party leader O Panneerselvam, part of the core team, have also been visiting her in the hospital.
Hospital authorities had said a United Kingdom-based specialist in sepsis was flown in to monitor her condition. Last week, Opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Chief M Karunanidhi had demanded that the government release photos to prove its claims that Jayalalithaa was not seriously ill. The chief minister was admitted to the hospital with fever and dehydration on September 29, amid the ongoing crisis over the Cauvery water sharing dispute.
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