Thousands of AIADMK cadres and leaders conducted a peace march from the Anna statue in Mount Road to the Jaya memorial at Marina Beach to pay tribute to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on her first death anniversary on Tuesday.
Those who took part in the march included Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, and other AIADMK leaders like D Jayakumar, Madhusudhanan and Maithreyan. The march started around 10:30 am from Anna statue in Mount Road. All the leaders were dressed in black shirts and paid tribute at the Jayalalithaa memorial after reaching there around 10:50 am.
Big banners with pictures of Jayalalithaa and party flags have been put up from Mount Road to Marina Beach. Moreover, a statue of Jayalalithaa has been installed with former Chief Ministers CN Annadurai and MG Ramachandran in Coimbatore.
The side-lined AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran also started a march from the Anna statue in Mount Road to Jaya memorial around 12 noon.
Various political leaders tweeted on the occasion of the first death anniversary of Jayalalithaa.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee tweeted, “Solemnly remembering former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa on her first death anniversary. We miss her so much.”
Solemnly remembering former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa on her first death anniversary. We miss her so much
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 5, 2017
Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president B. S. Yeddyurappa tweeted, “I’ve always admired her courage, conviction & bold administration. The political developments in Tamil Nadu in the past one year reminds us of the need for a towering leader like Jayalalithaa.”
Remembering former CM of Tamil Nadu Selvi J. Jayalalithaa on her death anniversary.
— B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) December 5, 2017
I've always admired her courage, conviction & bold administration. The political developments in Tamil Nadu in the past one year reminds us of the need for a towering leader like Jayalalithaa.
Jayalalithaa passed away on December 5, 2016 at 11:30 pm following a cardiac arrest. She had been admitted to Apollo Hospitals in Greams Road for fever and dehydration on September 22. According to a statement released on November 25, 2016, Jayalalithaa was recovering well from her illness, but she died after the cardiac arrest which occurred on December 4, 2016.
Following her death, the lack of second-tier leadership was apparent in the party. Various leaders like O Panneerselvam and Edappadi Palaniswami have tried to fill the void but the state has still not recovered from the loss of a leader of Jayalalithaa’s calibre.