As doctors confirmed that Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa will not be able to leave hospital soon, O Panneerselvam has again filled in for her and will now handle her eight portfolios, on “her direction.”
This is nothing new for him as he had handled the state when she was arrested two years ago on corruption charges. He will chair cabinet meetings, said a statement from Governor Vidyasagar Rao, adding that the changes have been made on the advice of Jayalalithaa, who is being treated for a lung infection and has been on respiratory support for several days, according to her doctors.
The 68-year-old was admitted on September 22 and Panneerselvam is one of those “hand-picked” by Amma. He has time and again exhibited his loyalty to his party boss by refusing to use her office or the seat assigned to the chief minister in the state legislature while she was in jail. When he took oath, he wept openly.
This loyalist has taken the reins for the third time now as earlier in September 2001, he was the interim CM for six months when Jayalalithaa was disqualified by the Supreme Court in the Tansi land deal case and second in September 2014, after a Bangalore court sentenced Jayalalithaa to four years in jail and fined Rs 100 crore in a corruption case.
