A security cordon that would be the envy of many intelligence agencies has been up around Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa ever since she was admitted to Apollo Hospital complaining of “a fever and dehydration”. Even as speculation and rumours have spread like wildfire, no one is being allowed to see the CM.
And it seems these rules apply even to relatives of the CM herself. According to The Times of India, Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar waited for nearly three days to meet the CM, but has not been allowed to do so. Deepa told TOI that even after she identified herself as the CM’s niece, and said she would not leave the hospital until she had met her, she was told that “some person of high authority” would get in touch with her, but has received no such calls yet.
A few days ago, it was also reported that Jayalalithaa’s step brother NJ Vasudevan had also attempted to meet her in vain. According to the TOI report, the octogenarian resident of a village near Mysuru had lost his wife and son some years ago, and was hoping to meet his sister before he died.
According to Deepa, while Jayalalithaa was present at her father (and Jayalalithaa’s brother), Jayakumar’s funeral, the CM’s relatives have since been kept away from her. "When my mother (Jayalalithaa's sister-in-law Vijayalakshmi) was critically ill in November, 2012, I could not communicate the news to my aunt,” Deepa told TOI.
Deepa also said that the fact that few people had seen Jayalalithaa in the recent past made her suspect that her illness was a serious condition.
Deepa has been seen attempting to meet CM Jayalalithaa at other occasions, including when she was released from the Parappana Agrahara prison in connection with the disproportionate assets case, but has never been allowed to interact with Jayalalithaa.