Women carry milk pots on heads for speedy recovery of Jayalalithaa

Chennai, Oct. 16 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar on Sunday led a procession of women carrying milk pots on their heads for speedy recovery of ailing Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. "We want Jayalalithaa to get well soon. We want her to rule Tamil Nadu as long as possible. Around 1.5 crore AIADMK supporters are visiting various temples in the state to pray for her speedy recovery," Jayakumar told the media. "We want her to discharge her duties as Chief Minister as soon as possible. And I hope, the God will listen to our prayers," he added. Earlier, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Chennai's R.K. Nagar constituency on Friday to offer special prayers for the speedy recovery of ailing Jayalalithaa, who is undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital. Supporters of Jayalalithaa - one of the powerful politicians of the country - gathered outside the hospital and offered prayers to their local deity. On Tuesday, the portfolios of the ailing state chief minister were transferred to finance minister O. Panneerselvam. Panneerselvam has served as interim chief minister of Tamil Nadu state twice in 2001 and 2014. Jayalalithaa wields national influence, with AIADMK holding the third largest number of seats in the Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament). The portly, fair-skinned Jayalalithaa acted in several movies before joining politics and has a huge fan following. She endeared herself to millions by distributing free laptops, grinders and fans to voters. People's devotion to Jayalalithaa, also called Amma (Mother), is unparalleled as they often prostrate themselves before her as a mark of respect. (ANI)