The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Saturday demanded that all the portraits of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa should be removed from government offices. DMK Working President MK Stalin also argued that since Jayalalithaa has been convicted in the disproportionate assets case, no new government schemes should be named after the former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief.
Stalin even threatened to move court if their demands were not fulfilled. “Jayalalithaa was convicted. Already there are some schemes in her name and the government should not allow new schemes to be named after her,” said Stalin, according to PTI.
On February 14, the Supreme Court had convicted Jayalalithaa, VK Sasikala and two others in a 21-year-old illegal assets case. Jayalalithaa had been accused of colluding with Sasikala, Sasikala’s sister-in-law Ilavarasi, and their nephew Sudhakaran, when she was the chief minister between 1991 and 1996. The four had allegedly amassed wealth of around Rs 65 crore, which were disproportionate to their known sources of income.
Stalin also expressed his reservations against spending “taxpayers’ money for her 69th birthday celebrations” on February 24, reported NDTV. He criticised Chief Minister E Palaniswami for participating in the celebrations.
The AIADMK condemned such a remark and demanded an “open apology” from Stalin. Party Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran told NDTV, “When scores of her supporters are in grief following her demise, making such slander and false remarks shows Stalin’s uncultured side.”
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