No mystery over Jaya's death: EPS

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami on Friday asserted that there was no mystery over the death of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief J Jayalalithaa, as was being made out by some quarters.

"Nothing wrong has happened over her death....there is no problem as being made by some persons," he told reporters in Coimbatore to a question on demands for an inquiry into her death.

Jayalalithaa, who was hospitalised in Chennai for more than two months for various complications, passed away on December 5 last year, after a cardiac arrest.

To another question on opposition leader in the assembly M K Stalin meeting the President and seeking a fresh trust vote, he said, “You are all aware of what happened. Since the issue is in Court, it will not be appropriate to comment on it.”

Palaniswami had won the February 18 trust vote 122-11 in the 234-member assembly, aided by eviction of main opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and walkout by its allies, amid stormy scenes during which mikes were uprooted, chairs toppled and sheets of papers torn.

The division vote was taken up after two adjournments following tempestuous scenes during which the opposition MLAs insisted on a secret vote, which was rejected by the speaker.

Asked about the hydro carbon exploration and extraction project at Pudukottai in Tamil Nadu, which is being opposed by environmentalists and public, Palaniswami said it was a central government project and that the state will take ‘appropriate measures’ if it affects people and farmers.

Referring to various schemes being implemented in the district, as announced by late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the chief minister said work on the long pending Avanashi-Athikadavu Irrigation Project would begin soon after getting clearance from the Union government.

The government hospital in Chennai would be upgraded at a cost of Rs 300 crore, he said, adding that steps would also be taken to implement the mono-rail scheme.

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EPS meets Modi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the airport in Coimbatore on Friday night.

Palaniswami, accompanied by Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan, called on Modi at the VIP Lounge in the airport, official sources said.

The meeting lasted about 20 minutes, they said without divulging any further detail.

The prime minister later left for New Delhi, police said.

Earlier during the day at a press meet, Palaniswami said he would meet Modi in New Delhi on February 27 and take up issues such as excluding Tamil Nadu from National Eligibility cum Entrance Test.

This was his first meeting with PM after being sworn-in as the CM.

IMAGE: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Paliniswami with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Coimbatore on Friday. Photograph: PTI Photo