BJP's Annamalai calls Jayalalithaa 'far superior Hindutva leader', Sasikala refutes claim
VK Sasikala issued a statement saying that no one can confine a people's leader like Jayalalithaa in any kind of narrow circle.
Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai has called former Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK supremo late J Jayalalitha "a far superior Hindutva leader" and claimed that she was the first politician in the country, other than BJP leaders, to support the cause of a Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.
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In an interview with the news agency PTI, the BJP leader said that he will not let the saffron party to play second fiddle to any political party in Tamil Nadu, where it has a chance to fill the void created by the AIADMK's "drifting away" from the Hindutva ideology after the death of Jayalalitha.
"If you look at it, till Jayalalithaa ji was alive, she was a far superior Hindutva leader than anybody in Tamil Nadu. Pre-2014, when you have a party like the BJP and Jayalalithaa as a leader the natural choice of a Hindu voter would be Jayalalithaa, who displayed her Hindu identity openly," he said.
However, VK Sasikala, a close aide of Jayalalithaa, refuted Annamalai's claims and issued a statement saying that no one can confine a people's leader like Jayalalithaa in any kind of narrow circle.
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Accusing the BJP leader of his ignorance and misunderstanding about 'Jaya Amma', Sasikala said, "Till her last breath, she lived as a true Dravidian leader on the path shown by Anna and MGR. She was a leader celebrated by all communities- Hindus, Christians, Muslims etc. Amma was a great leader who overcame caste and religious barriers and dedicated her life to improving the lives of the people."
Sasikala, who is also called Chinnamma, further said that Jayalalithaa had faith in God but she never believed in any one particular religion.
"It is a well-known fact that the Amma is the only incomparable leader who has been celebrated by all communities be it Hindu, Muslim or Christian. Jayalalitha, a great leader who overcame the barriers of caste and religion, dedicated herself to improving the living standards of the poor and simple common people," she added.
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Jayalalitha died of cardiac arrest on December 5, 2016, at the age of 68 in Chennai. A day later, Jayalalithaa was buried at the northern end of Marina Beach in Chennai, near the grave of her mentor and the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu M. G. Ramachandran at the M.G.R. and Jayalalithaa memorial complex.
(With inputs from PTI)
