NEW DELHI, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- After staying for months in a private hospital, the ailing Chief Minister of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has indicated that she has almost recovered and that she has been "reborn".
J. Jayalalitha, the 68-year-old woman politician, has been in the hospital in state capital Chennai since Sept. 22, a day after she made her last public appearance.
"Due to the continuous prayers by people in Tamil Nadu, in other states and across the world, I have been reborn and I am happy to share this information with you," Jayalalitha said in the letter that was released by her regional AIADMK party late Sunday evening.
She had last month handed over all her official responsibilities to her deputy -- state's Finance Minister O.P. Panneerselvam -- though she did not give up the post of chief minister.
Initially, doctors said Jayalalitha was receiving treatment for "fever and dehydration". Later, local media reported, quoting doctors, that she had a lung infection. But overall there has been a veil of secrecy around her health.
A former film actress, Jayalalitha is the head of AIADMK party and has been elected Tamil Nadu's chief minister four times. She is one of India's most powerful woman politician.
