Jayalalithaa hospital video: EC lodges FIR against AIADMK's TTV Dhinakaran faction worker who released clip for violation MCC

The Election Commission took note of the video released by the AIADMK’s rival TTV Dhinakaran (also spelt as Dinakaran) faction just a day ahead of the RK Nagar bypolls, and lodged an FIR against, P Vetrivel, an aide of Dhinakaran. The video, which purportedly showed former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa in a hospital and violates the Model Code of Conduct was allegedly used to stir emotions amid the electorate of the Assembly seat which was the late leader’s seat. The poll panel, according to CNN-News18 found the clip to be in violation of Section 126 of the Model Code of Conduct, which prohibits any poll-related publicity after the campaigning has ended formally. [caption id=“attachment_4226177” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jayalalithaa. Reuters[/caption] Earlier, the rival AIADMK faction lead by E Palaniswamy and O Panneerselvam had urged the Election Commission to take strong action against the poll code violation. “The people of Tamil Nadu will not fall for these tricks. The EC must take strict action against Vetrivel and Dhinakaran for releasing this video,” state law minister and senior member of the EPS-OPS camp, D Jayakumar, said . Jayakumar claimed that the video has been in Dhinakaran’s possession for over a year, and the fact that they chose this day to release it proves that they intend to use it to influence voter behaviour, which is against the Code of Conduct. Bypolls to the RK Nagar constituency, which has been vacant since Jayalalithaa’s death on 5 December, 2016, will pit TTV Dhinakaran against E Madhusudhan, the candidate put forth by the EPS-OPS camp.   However, Vetrivel, in his defence said that he was “forced” to release this video because Opposition parties kept demanding proof. “OPS has been making accusations every day. Even yesterday, he was speaking about Amma’s death. We hope these pictures will settle the debate. We didn’t want to release this footage at all, but were forced to, because they keep going on,” he said. Responding to criticism that the timing of the video’s release, just one day before the by-election, was “suspicious”, Vetrivel said they aren’t doing it for electoral gains. “The elections are a very small matter. Raising doubts over Amma’s death is a much bigger issue. We are sharing this video to settle that argument alone. We want to make it clear that she was cared for. If it was only about the elections, we could have shared it in April (when polling was originally scheduled to be held, before the Election Commission deferred it),” he added. The footage, of about 20 seconds aired by TV channels, showed the AIADMK supremo in a nightdress, looking frail and sipping what appeared to be a health drink with a straw. A year after Jayalalithaa’s death, the clip released by the Dhinkaran camp and made available to the media showed her in a reclining position in a corporate hospital bed. The chief electoral officer of Tamil Nadu, Rajesh Lakhoni, told reporters that television channels had been asked to immediately stop airing the clip. Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai on 22 September last year after she complained of fever and dehydration. She died on 5 December that year after 75 days in the hospital. There was no immediate response from Apollo Hospital to a query on the veracity of the video. The video showed her sipping the drink with a straw from a use-and-throw glass topped with a lid. On her bedside was the portrait of a deity. However, the date and time of the footage is not known. Lakhoni said telecasting or displaying any election-related material 48 hours before the poll to the day of election was barred under election laws. Ruling AIADMK sources refused to comment on the video. Jayalalithaa represented the RK Nagar constituency.