AIADMK charges Karunanidhi with playing politics on health issue, rejects demand for pictures of Amma. Party asserts Jayalalithaa will be back in action soon.

With rumors flying thick and fast over health condition of chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu police launched a crackdown, booking for persons for spreading false news. At the party level, the AIADMK launched an offensive against DMK patriarch M Karunandhi for his suggestion that the government release pictures of Jayalalithaa to scotch all rumors.

Sixty eight year old Jayalalithaa was rushed to Apollo specialty hospital eight days ago with complaints of fever and dehydration. Regular medical bulletins from the hospital maintained that she was responding well to treatment failed to contain a flurry of rumors, that flew thick and fast, sparking off worry and fear among Amma’s devotees.

Asserting that Jayalalithaa was responding well to the treatment, the AIADMK on Sunday dismissed Karunanidhi’s suggestion and charged him with playing politics over such an issue. There is no need to release any pictures, said senior AIADMK leader Panruti Ramachandran.

His colleague and party spokesperson CR Saraswathi charged Karunanidhi with playing politics, which she said was disgusting as anyone can fall ill. And anyone can be hospitalized. Amma is responding well to treatment and she will ba back at work soon,” she said dismissing rumors to the contrary.

Some people with vested interests are spreading these rumors, she said. But in the absence of pictorial evidence, rumors continue to fly.

Which is why, TN police began action against rumor mongers and booked four of them.

Prominent among them was a France based Tamil blogger, Tamizachi, for writing on her blog that Jayalalithaa was dead for few days. Police booked three cases, including one for creating enmity between two communities, against Tamizachi. The AIADMK IT wing had filed a complaint against her.

A DMK functionary was arrested in Chennai for spreading false news and two more people booked for similar offences.

Yet, rumors continued to fly around as there was no visible evidence as demanded by karunanidhi that was forthcoming.

And the arrival of a specialist from London only added to the speculations, notwithstanding his assertion that Jayalalithaa was getting the best possible medical treatment. Dr Richard John Beale, a specialist in lung injuries and multi organ failure treatment had examined Jayalalithaa on Friday night and he said he would be available for few days to help the doctors here.

The last health bulletin, issued by hospital Thursday night, said Jayalalithaa was responding well to treatment and that she was advised rest for few more days.

AIADMK spokesperson Saraswathi launched a scathing attack on Karunanidhi for playing politics on the health issue and questioned his statements when doctors were saying that she was getting better.

The mood outside the hospital turned somber after the visit of the specialist from London and became tense too. Jayalalithaa was admitted late night on September 22 for treatment for fever and dehydration.