Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Monday declared that a grand memorial for former chief minister J Jayalalithaa will be built at Marina beach within one year.

On Monday, the duo laid the foundation stone for the memorial to be built on Marina beach front where her body was laid to rest following her death on December 5, 2016. It will be located adjacent to the memorial of late chief minister MG Ramachandran.

Before laying the foundation stone the two leaders participated in special prayers.

The memorial will be designed like the phoenix bird and it is estimated to cost Rs 50 crore to be built.

Opposition leaders have condemned the move saying that a convict should not honoured thus by the state government. PMK founder S Ramadoss described the action as one akin to ‘crowing corruption’. Jayalalithaa was convicted in corruption case.

DMK working president MK Stalin said she was the accused number one in the disproportionate assets case and was convicted by the courts in the case. Building a memorial for such a convict is against democracy, Stalin said.