In a democracy do we have the right to know the full details of the health of our chief ministers and prime ministers? Or is their right to privacy greater than our need to know? However, Jayalalithaa’s mysterious illness and the resounding official silence surrounding it have brought this issue into sharp focus. When the odd report was issued Karunanidhi, then leader of the opposition, called it “Hande pulugu, anda pulugu, aakasa pulugu” which, I believe, can be translated as “blatant lies of universal proportions”. It may sound tongue-in-cheek but I am, nonetheless, serious when I point out we’re repeatedly told by Jayalalithaa’s spokespersons she’s recovering yet don’t know what she’s recovering from!

Source: Hindustan Times October 22, 2016 15:13 UTC