Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Expelled AIADMK leader Sasikala’s husband, M Natarajan, passed away yesterday at the age of 74 following treatment for severe chest infection in a Chennai hospital.

Just months after undergoing a dual organ transplant in October last year, Natarajan was admitted to hospital last week and put on ventilator support. He was treated with a tracheostomy procedure but all efforts failed as he passed away at 1:30 am, revealed representatives of Chennai’s Gleneagles Global Health City hospital.

Media reports said that Sasikala has applied for a long parole from Bengaluru’s Paripanna Agrahara jail, where she is currently serving her imprisonment sentence. Jail authorities have confirmed her parole request and will take a decision on it as soon as they receive more details.

Although his wife Sasikala was a close aide for former Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK chief Jayalalitha, Natarajan was himself closely associated with the rival Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party during his initial days. DMK working president MK Stalin acknowledged this fact and paid condolences to Natarajan by saying that he possessed great interest in Dravidian ideology and played a big role in anti-Hindi agitations.

Natarajan had played several backstage roles in Tamil Nadu politics during his lifetime. Despite being expelled from AIADMK by Jayalalitha, he remained in political relevance until he was inducted into the party again along with the rest of Sasikala’s party.

By dhruv