It is almost confirmed that Jayalalithaa is dead. The officials and police are making arrangements to take her body to her residence. The CM convoy has entered the hospital and it will return to the house with Ammas dead body. O Pannerselvam (OPS)will take over as the new CM of Tamilnadu and arrangements are being made for the same. Governor Vidyasagar is looking into the arrangements.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu is camping in Tamilandu and briefing the developments to PM Modi from time to time .
A spokesperson at Chennai’s Apollo Hospital said at about 1 pm that the 68-year-old politician is in very critical condition, though the state’s most senior bureaucrat, Chief Secretary Rama Mohana Rao, told visitors this morning that the politician is “improving”.But in the evening the local media reported that Amma is no more. The party flag at the party office was lowered as a mark of respect. But doctors said they are still trying to save her life.
Legislators from Jayalalithaa’s party, the AIADMK, will meet at the party office at 6 pm. Earlier this morning, the AIADMK said that the Chief Minister was improving after a heart procedure, a claim denied completely by the hospital.
Four doctors from Delhi’s premier AIIMS institute have been sent to Chennai, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda, who is getting regular updates from Apollo Hospital in Chennai.
London specialist Dr Richard Beale who had flown down earlier to supervise the Chief Minister’s condition said in a statement. “The situation is extremely grave but I can confirm that everything possible is being done to give her the best chance of surviving the cardiac arrest”. He told NDTV that the politician is now “on the most advanced level of support.”
The Chief Minister is now being treated with ECMO or an Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation device, which means that she is being assisted in breathing and in heart functions. Expert said the line of treatment can continue for weeks and is used when doctors believe the cause of cardiac arrest is reversible.
The police has blocked all roads leading to the hospital where hundreds of the Chief Minister’s supporters have gathered to keep vigil just like they had months ago, disbanding only when doctors said she had recovered.
Security across the state has been reviewed as a precaution against violent or self-harming protests by lakhs of supporters of the hugely popular politician.
Just days ago, the Chief Minister was moved from the critical care unit of the hospital to a private room fitted with state-of-the-art equipment.
In a series of tweets last night on the politician’s health condition, Apollo Hospital asked for prayers for the leader’s recovery.
Yesterday, hours before Ms Jayalalithaa’s condition worsened, her party said that she was fully recovered and was due to decide on when to return to her home.
