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Ending days of speculation on whether she would join hands with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, Deepa Jayakumar, late Jayalalithaa's niece, on Tuesday said she would work with him as if they are "two hands of the AIADMK".
Exactly a week after he announced that he was forced to quit as chief minister, Panneerselvam, flanked by MLAs and MPs in his camp, paid a visit to late Jayalalithaa's burial site at Marina and offered homage.
Minutes after his arrival, Deepa also reached the venue and jointly paid homage to the late chief minister at the burial site for about 20 minutes.
"We will work together jointly as two hands of AIADMK in future for the people of Tamil Nadu. He asked for justice. I too ask the same," Deepa told reporters.
Welcoming Supreme Court’s decision on Sasikala’s disproportionate asset case, Deepa said: “This is a good verdict, a just verdict as those who have to go to jail have gone. This verdict was long pending and most welcomed. Now it is clear that those who indulged in corruption have been taken to task. I have always been saying that Sasikala could never be accepted because of the assets case."
Education Minister K Pandiarajan, former Electricity Minister 'Natham' Viswanathan, AIADMK MPs including V Maitreyan, senior party leaders C Ponnaiyan and E
Madhusudhanan were also at the memorial.
After paying homage Deepa went to the house of Panneerselvam at Greenways Road and was given a traditional welcome by family members of the chief minister.
Recently, Panneerselvam had said Deepa and her brother Deepak were the only blood relations of Jayalalithaa.
"When Amma's mortal remains were in the hospital on the night of December 5, she (Deepa) was not allowed to pay her respects even at that time," he had alleged.
Image: Deepa Jayakumar, Jayalalithaa's niece, with O Panneerselvam and MLAs pray at the former Tamil Nadu chief minister's memorial in Chennai on Tuesday. Photograph: PTI Photo