Yet another relative of former Tamil Nadu chief-minister J. Jayalalithaa has confirmed that the latter, indeed gave birth to a child in the early eighties, which is contrary to the public image the late ‘Puratchithalaivi’ had that of a ‘Selvi’ (unmarried woman).

Bangalore resident Lalitha, daughter of Jayalalithaa’s aunt (Jayalalithaa’s father’s sister), was speaking to a regional television news channel recently.  “Jayalalithaa was the daughter of my mother’s brother.  We had a hint that she had an affair with ‘someone’.  In fact, it was my aunt who helped her during the delivery of the child about which Jayalalithaa had told us not to reveal to anyone.

“We weren’t in touch with Jayalalitha after the 1970’s.  Shilaja, a distant cousin of Jayalalithaa, brought up Amrutha and this makes us believe that this was the daughter born to Jayalalithaa.  However, only a DNA test confirm it.  I have known Amrutha only for the past three months and that through Ranjani.  Amrutha addresses me as her ‘aunt’.

“She wants to perform the funeral ritual of her mother in typical Vaishnaviite manner and I don’t think she is after Jayalalithaa’s property.  We weren’t in touch with Jayalalithaa after she took to politics.  My aunt helped Jayalalithaa during her delivery as her mother had passed away by then,” Lalitha concluded.