Rumors swirl on CM’s health.
The Madras High Court, on Tuesday, ordered Tamil Nadu state government to inform the court about the health status of chief minister J Jayalalithaa who has been under treatment in Apollo Hospital in Chennai.
The court directed Tamil Nadu’s Additional Advocate General to inform the court about Jayalalithaa’s health in two days, reported India Today.
The order was issued on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by activist Traffic Ramaswamy seeking the health status of the chief minister.
While Jayalalithaa is being treated at the hospital, another woman is running the state administration from the same hospital building: retired IAS officer Sheela Balakrishnan, 62, a confidante of the chief minister, has taken control of the state administration.
Top officials and even ministers are queuing up for taking instructions from Balakrishnan.
“Even ministers are taking instructions from her,” a top official who did not wish to be named told The Hindustan Times. “Jayalalithaa has implicit trust in Sheela Balakrishnan, both for her abilities and attitude, which is why she has become the most important person in the state today. Nothing moves without her consent,” he added.
Born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Balakrishnan is a 1976-batch IAS officer who was appointed as the official advisor to the chief minister after her retirement in 2014. She is said to be working from a room near Jayalalithaa’s room.
Top officials, including chief secretary P Rama Mohan Rao and director general of police TK Rajendran, directly report to Balakrishnan and take advice from her.
Though important policy decisions are not taken in the absence of Jayalalithaa, Balakrishnan ensures that the state administration runs smoothly.
Another retired IAS officer Santha Sheela Nair, who has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Chief Minister’s office, ensures that the orders issued by Balakrishnan are being implemented without delay.
“It is good that Tamil Nadu has a strong and efficient bureaucracy to keep the momentum going without guidance from the political leadership,” Ganapati Ramachandran, vice-president of the South Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry told Hindustan Times.