Her sharp intellect impressed Rajya Sabha

Jayalalithaa made her mark as ‘Amma’ in Tamil politics post the MGR era, but she had impressed top politicians with her intellect when she was in the Rajya Sabha in the 1980s.

Two of the then MPs – Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil – went on to become the country’s presidents, while first-timers in the Upper House like Sharad Yadav of JD(U) and Ajit Singh of RLD went on to play prominent roles in national politics.

Rich tributes flowed from leaders who were in the Rajya Sabha during her tenure between April 1984 and January 1989, describing her as a great artiste and a “towering figure” in Indian politics. President Mukherjee was the leader of the Rajya Sabha when she entered the Upper House and had glowing words for Jayalalithaa.

“I am deeply saddened at the sad demise of Jayalalithaaji. I knew her for all these years. She first entered the Rajya Sabha when I was leader of the House around early 1980s. Since then, on many occasions I had interactions with her. In all subjects concerning development and administration, she had a wonderful mastery over facts,” Mukherjee remembered.

“She is a fighter and till the last moment, she fought against the cruelty of disease and sufferings. All other battles she won, but perhaps everybody has to lose one fight and she has lost that,” he added.