Joining the bandwagon of aggrieved public figures who have been questioning the rationale behind V.K. Sasikala’s claim to Jayalalithaa’s legacy and the mad rush with which she has set out to capture power, M.B. Nirmal, Chairman and Founder of Exnora International, a popular civic moment, has raised a set of six pertinent questions to Sasikala.

Nirmal, who has come out with a telling video, “Nirmal’s six questions,” has in the event raised concerns as to why such a rush to grab power on Sasikala’s part.

“Tell us, the people of Tamil Nadu, why such urgency and rush to grab power Mrs. Sasikala; was this the reason that former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was made to succumb to her health maladies prematurely?” asks Nirmal.

“Why have you removed Madhusoodhanan and O. Panneerselvam from the positions they held in both the party and the Government, even though they were the ones chosen by the late leader Jayalalithaa?”

“Yes, you can assume constitutional posts, including that of Chief Minister, but not while owning major shares in Midas Golden Distilleries Pvt. Ltd, a company that manufactures IMFL liquor. Does it not amount to conflict of interest and will a mother feed liquor instead of milk to her children?” he queries.

While blaming Sasikala for alienating Jayalalithaa’s close friends and relatives, Nirmal argues that the presence of close friends and relatives in her life would have saved Jayalalithaa’s life.

Finally, he demands to know why the MLAs, who are the elected representatives of the people, are kept under lock and key. “If you don’t trust them, how would they trust you in return,” Nirmal asks in the video.

“Hope the people of Tamil Nadu aren’t sleeping but are wide awake,” says Nirmal in his parting shot.

Incidentally, Nirmal’s father, Pesum Padam Basu, was a family friend of Jayalalithaa and her mother Sandhya. It is said that he was instrumental in facilitating Jayalalithaa’s entry into films in the 1960s.