In New Audio, Jayalalithaa Complains of Breathlessness, Machine Noises at Hospital
Chennai: The Inquiry Committee set up to investigate the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, released an audio recording on Saturday of the AIADMK leader during her hospitalisation.
Dr Shivkumar, who was Jayalalithaa's personal doctor and a relative of VK Sasikala, deposed before the committee on Saturday submitted the recordings and a diet regime, written by the late CM herself.
Shivkumar claimed the audio was recorded on September 27, 2016, while Jayalalithaa was undergoing treatment at Chennai's Apollo Hospital. The Tamil Nadu CM died on December 5, 2016, due to Cardiac arrest.
In the recorded audio conversation, Jayalalithaa can be heard saying, “I am feeling breathless and the sounds of machines are like that of a crazy (cinema) fan sitting on the front seat of a theatre and whistling.”
She then asks the doctor what her blood pressure was, to this he replied, “140/80… is it quite high?”
The AIADMK leader replied that it was “okay” for her. “Normal,” she said.
This isn’t the first time that someone deposing before the committee has said that they interacted with Jayalalithaa on September 27.
Earlier, former chief secretary of Tamil Nadu Rama Mohana Rao told News 18 that he, along with two other bureaucrats, met Jayalalithaa at the hospital and discussed the Cauvery issue. Jayalalithaa, he said, told them to fight “tooth and nail” for the state’s rights.