R K Nagar Bypoll: Dinakaran Faction Releases Video Of Jayalalithaa In Hospital, EC Tells Media Can’t Air Footage
P Vetrivel, a close aide of TTV Dinakaran and one of the disqualified MLAs supporting V K Sasikala faction, released a video of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, which, he claimed, was shot at the Apollo Hospitals in Chennai where the AIADMK supremo was hospitalised in September 2016 until her death in December last year. Vetrivel claimed the video was shot by Sasikala after Jayalalithaa was shifted from critical care unit to her room in the hospital. He refused to answer the motive behind releasing the video now.
Shortly after the video was released, the Returning Officer of Tamil Nadu elections directed media houses to stop airing the video, citing code of conduct.
“The telecast is in violation of Section 126 (1) (b) of the Representation of the People’s Act, 1951, which prohibits the display of any election matter, inter-alia, on TV during the period of 48 hours fixed for conclusion of poll,” the EC statement said. “You are hereby requested to stop any further telecast of this video footage having content that may directly or indirectly have any impact on the forthcoming elections or any discussion relating thereto adhering to Model Code of Conduct, ” the statement added.
The video, which comes a day before the bypoll at Jayalalithaa’s R K Nagar constituency, is being seen as an attempt to counter allegations and rumours that hold V K Sasikala and her family responsible for the AIADMK supremo’s death. Sasikala’s nephew Dinakaran is one of the powerful candidates in the bypoll.
The ruling AIADMK faction, headed by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his ministers, too, have been making statements triggering suspicions at Sasikala and her family.
Last September, after state ministers supporting the ruling faction levelled allegations against Sasikala’s family regarding Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation, Dinakaran stated that there was no mystery or nothing to hide. He also added that his aunt Sasikala had shot a video of Jayalalithaa from her hospital bed. “It was Amma (Jayalalithaa) who insisted to shoot the video of her weight loss, her video in which she was watching TV. As she was wearing night wear, we do not want to release them,” Dinakaran had said.
The video may serve as a crucial evidence before the court of inquiry on Jayalalithaa’s death.
Courtesy : indianexpress
