Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, on Monday said that a cabinet meeting was held on October 19, 2016 to discuss the health condition of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. This statement is in direct contradiction with the claims made by Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam who had claimed that no cabinet meeting had been held.
The minister appeared before Justice Arumughaswamy Commission that is probing the death of Jayalalithaa on Monday for recording his deposition. During his deposition that lasted for around six hours, reports stated that he was cross examined by VK Sasikala’s counsel Raja Senthoor Pandian and Apollo Hospitals’ counsel Maimoona Badsha.
Vijayabaskar's statement concurs with Health Secy
Speaking to TNM, after recording C Vijayabaskar’s statement, Raja Senthoor Pandian said that Vijayabaskar’s version of events concurred with what Health Secretary Radhakrishnan and then Chief Secretary Rama Mohan Rao had deposed. “He agreed that myself (Vijayabaskar) and Radhakrishnan had discharged our duties as Health Minister and Health Secretary towards the treatment of Jayalalithaa,” he said.
Raja Senthoor Pandian also said that contrary to what Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam had claimed about a cabinet meeting not held during the time Jayalalithaa was hospitalised, Vijayabaskar concurred with the former Chief Secretary’s version. “He has stated that on 19.10.2016, on the intervention of the Chief Secretary, a resolution was passed by the cabinet. So there is no deviation of the part of Rama Mohan Rao, Radhakrishnan or the Health Minister,” he explained.
O Panneerselvam saw Amma when was taken for a procedure
Reports also stated that the Health Minister told the commission that Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam was present when Jayalalithaa was taken for tracheostomy and saw her. In 2017, months after the death of Jayalalithaa, O Panneerselvam had told TNM that he was not allowed to see her even once during the 75-day-period in Apollo hospital and that all information he received about her health was from other sources.
“I was at the hospital every day, but I did not see Amma at all, not even once," he had said. O Panneerselvam has not appeared before the commission and Sasikala'a side has blamed him many times for deliberately avoiding from coming to the hearing.
On Tuesday, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker and senior AIADMK leader Thambidurai appeared before the Commission.