Jayalalithaa’s Niece Deepa Opposes Amma Memorial at Poes Garden

The 24,000 sq feet bungalow bought by Jayalalithaa’s mother Sandhya in 1967, is estimated to be worth Rs 90 cr now.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy's announcement that former CM Jayalalithaa's residence will be converted into a memorial has received mixed reactions from her family.

Jayalalithaa's niece, Deepa Jayakumar, has made it amply clear that she is not willing to part with the property.

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"Veda Nilayam is our inheritance. They can’t buy, sell or hand it over to anyone else. It is my moral, legal and ethical right," she said.

While Deepa declared that she would take the matter to court, her brother Deepak welcomed the government's move.

In a press statement, Deepak said that he would not oppose the construction of the memorial but wanted the government to take their permission.

Deepak says that though his aunt did not leave a will, his grandmother's will names Deepa and himself as legal heirs.

Through his statement, Deepak has hinted that he expects to be compensated by the TN government.

According to Jayalalithaa’s mother’s will, that has been accessed by several media outlets, the T Nagar house was to be left for Jayakumar, Deepa and Deepak’s father, while Poes Garden was under Jayalalithaa’s name.

Veda Nilayam', a 24,000 sq feet bungalow bought by Jayalalithaa's mother Sandhya in 1967, is estimated to be worth Rs 90 crore now. In the election affidavit filed last year, Jayalalithaa had claimed that the property was worth Rs 43 crore.

This property has not been sealed by the government after the verdict in the disproportionate assets case. The building next door that Jayalalithaa bought in 1997 for Rs 10.2 lakh has been sealed.

Though Jayalalithaa's immediate family has made their stand clear, one is yet to hear from Sasikala and her family. Many political experts believe that Sasikala will get into the row, despite having no legal rights over the property, at a later stage.

(This article was originally published in The News Minute. It has been republished here with permission.)

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