‘Bungalow not for sale’: Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa targets Sasikala
‘We never said that this house is for sale. No one has approached, nor are we in talks,’ said Jayalalithaa’s niece, Deepa, dismissing rumours about the Veda Nilayam bungalow
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalaithaa’s niece Deepa on Tuesday dismissed rumours that she is selling Jayalalithaa’s ‘Veda Nilayam’ bungalow in Chennai and trained guns at the late All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) supremo’s ex-aid, VK Sasikala.
The bungalow was handed over to Deepa and her brother J Deepak by the Madras high court last year following a legal battle by them after Jayalalithaa’s death in December, 2016.
The Veda Nilayam in Chennai’s posh Poes Garden has been a subject of fascination for the public. Jayalalithaa purchased the property in the 60s and lived there with Sasikala until her death. She died intestate. Following her death, Deepa said that she spent several days in the house with her aunt.
In an audio clip released on Tuesday, Deepa said that she is intending to move into the bungalow soon.
“After a long legal battle, we got back Veda Nilayam which is our ancestral property…I condemn all these rumours. Whoever it may be, including those who say that they have been on the journey along with Amma (Jayalalithaa), such as Sasikala’s family members, I want to tell them and everyone that these are rumours. We never said that this house is for sale. No one has approached, nor are we in talks (for a sale),” she said.
There was no immediate reaction from Sasikala.
Sasikala continued to live in the three-storey Veda Nilayam bungalow after Jayalalithaa’s death until she was imprisoned in a Bengaluru jail in February 2017. Upon her return, so much changed in the AIADMK with her loyalists turning against her.
The party, which was in power in Tamil Nadu at the time, enacted a legislation in 2020 establishing a foundation for turning Jayalalithaa’s home into a memorial and said that the property was acquired legally after depositing a compensation of ₹67.9 crore before the civil court in Chennai. It was a bid to prevent Sasikala from entering the house as she wanted to reclaim everything as it were, including her post in the party before she went to jail.
Deepa and her brother Deepak challenged the previous AIADMK regime’s acquisition and conversion of her residence and received a favourable order when the Madras high court in November 2020 set aside the acquisition. Following the court’s direction, the Chennai district collector handed over the residence’s keys to Deepa and Deepak.