Chennai: AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa on Tuesday directed her party functionaries to open a fixed deposit account for Rs 5 lakh in the name of a nonagenarian Congress leader of Tamil Nadu living in indigent circumstances.
"AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa has directed remittance of Rs 5 lakh as fixed deposit in the name of veteran Congress leader 90-year-old TS Killivalavan so that he could use the interest from it for his daily expenses," an AIADMK release said here.
"Jayalalithaa was grieved when she came to know that Killivalavan was suffering due to indigent circumstances in advanced age," the release said, adding, the party chief immediately directed deposit of money in a humane gesture.
The AIADMK chief's gesture follows a report in a Tamil daily which portrayed the nonagenarian's travails.
"Killivalavan is a friend of former Chief Minister CN Annadurai who served the Congress party for a long time," it said.
Housing Minister R Vaithilingam and Higher Education Minister P Palaniappan called on the ailing Congress leader at his residence here today.
They apprised the Congress leader of their party chief's gesture and handed over Rs 5,000 for his immediate expenses, it said.
Killivalavan is an associate of EVK Sampath, one of the founding members of the DMK and a tall leader of the Dravidian Movement.
Sampath snapped ties with Annadurai and founded the Tamil National Party before joining the Congress in early 1960's.
Killivalavan quit DMK along with Sampath and joined Congress and has held several positions in the party.
