CHENNAI, Jan 28: Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Wednesday inaugurated a phoenix-themed memorial for the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa at the Marina beach alongside the memorial to party founder and late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran.

Deputy Chief Minister Panneerselvam and Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal also participated in the function. Ministers, MPs, MLAs and senior party leaders were also present. A huge crowd had gathered to witness the function.

Palaniswami and Panneerselvam had jointly laid the foundation stone for the memorial in 2018. Jayalalithaa died on December 5, 2016. The Phoenix-like memorial has been built at a cost of Rs 80 cr. It is spread over 14,100 sq ft and is 45 ft high, 100 ft in length and 130 ft in width. A Phoenix is a mythological bird of ancient Greek folklore that dies in fire only to rise again from the ashes. The memorial houses the mausoleum of Jayalalithaa.

The inauguration was timed just an hour after the official release of former AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala Natarajan, 66, a close aide of the late J Jayalalithaa, from the Central jail, Parappana Agrahara, in Bengaluru at 11 am. She is under treatment for covid in Victoria hospital in the city. Especially as the Assembly elections are due, political rivalries are likely to surface in the party in the coming days. The inauguration has sent out a message that Sasikala is no more an indispensable part of AIADMK.