Floral tributes paid to Jayalalithaa on her 77th birth anniversary

Chennai: Floral tributes were paid to former Tamil Nadu Minister and AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa on her 77th birth anniversary on Monday.

At the party headquarters in the city, AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Edappadi K Palaniswami, senior party leaders, former Ministers and district secretaries and functionaries celebrated the occasion with various events.

Mr Palaniswami garlanded the statue of Ms Jayalalithaa and Party Founder MGR at the AIADMK headquarters, paid floral tributes to their portraits, distributed sweets, released a special souvenior, hoisted the party flag and cut a special 77 kg cake and distributed it to the party cadres and public to mark the occasion.

He also inaugurated a medical camp, launched welfare schemes and offered Annadhanam (free meals) to celebrate the occasion.

Mr Palaniswami also launched the AIADMK Young Generation Sportspersons Wing on the occasion.

Elsewhere in the State AIADMK leaders celebrated Ms Jayayalithaa's birth anniversary by garlanding her statutes, paying floral tributes and offering Anadhanams, cutting cakes and distributing sweets to the public.

Ousted AIADMK leader and former CM O Panneerselvam and his son and former MP P Raveendranath paid floral tributes at Ms Jayalalithaa's Poes Garden residence in city.

Ms Jayalalithaa's neighbour and popular actor Rajinikanth also paid floral tributes to her at her residence and said she still continued to live in the hearts and minds of the people.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Panneerselvam said the betrayal of a person who favoured the single leadership led to the party's debacle in the successive elections and called for unity.

Ms Jayalalithaa's close aide and another expelled AIADMK Leader V K Sasikala and her nephew and AMMK Founder TTV Dhinakaran also paid floral tributes to her on the occasion.