Laila moves in as Jaya is forced out of George's life

New Delhi : The fiery trade union leader of the 1960s, George Fernandes, who fought for the rights of labourers, is presently being fought over by the two women in his life.

One is his wife, Laila Kabir, and the other his long-time companion Jaya Jaitly.

Ironically, Fernandes, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease since 2006 and has recently been diagnosed to also have Parkinson's disease, seems virtually unaware of the turmoil around him. Along with allopathic treatment, he is undergoing yoga and ayurveda medication at the Patanjali Yogpeeth Ashram in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.

Talking exclusively to Gulf News, Leila said, "My only purpose to be with my husband is to see that he gets the right medical attention. A lot of people now ask me why I was not with him for the last many years. All I can say is that all the wishes of a person do not come true."

Separation

Laila, daughter of educationist and politician Humayun Kabir, was married to Fernandes for 13 years before they separated in 1984. But they never had an official divorce. The couple's son, Sean, is an investment banker.

Grassroots politician Fernandes's life has seen several extremes. From being accused of having received bribes in the Tehelka scandal and nailed over the purchase of coffins for the armed forces, he has weathered it all, but never shielded himself.

The unconventional ex-Defence Minister is known for neither having any security guards around him, nor a main gate at his residence. Anyone could just walk in. It was only after the security agencies intervened that he gave in and agreed to have a security guard. Times have changed.

After 25 years, Laila recently moved into her husband's official residence, 3 Krishna Menon Marg. The very next morning, Jaya was barred from entering the premises.

While Sean shot off a letter to the Tughlak Marg police station seeking ‘security' for the immediate family, another complaint was made by Laila to the Home Minister P. Chidambaram. It said, "Certain vested interests had been influencing him [Fernandes] and taking advantage of his poor health and their proximity to him to pursue their own agendas.

"I request that proper security be provided to us and that the guards deputed for my husband's safety should be instructed to co-operate only with the immediate family's instructions."

Former Samata Party president and close aide of Fernandes, Jaya has been mentioned as someone who could cause harm.

An aide close to Fernandes mentioned that all these years what was legally her right as a wife, was not given to Laila even when Fernandes became Minister of Railways in 1989 and Defence Minister in 1998.

Spouse support

Last year, Laila accompanied Fernandes to Parliament when he was to take oath as Rajya Sabha member. She now has a spouse card made out in her name and has ousted Jaya from the space she occupied for over two decades.

"Jaya used her proximity to Fernandes to usurp his wealth. She had total control over his bank accounts through a power of attorney issued by him a few years ago. This was, however, reversed last year by his family," the source said.

He revealed that a few years back when Fernandes' ancestral property was sold, the share was distributed among the five brothers.

Fernandes' share was invested by Jaya into constructing a 5-storey residential apartment in Delhi. The property worth Rs400 million (Dh31 million) is legally in the name of Fernandes, Jaya, her son, Akshay and daughter Aditi, wife of former cricketer Ajay Jadeja. But no official documents are in the possession of Fernandes or his family. All his life, Fernandes had shown disinterest in material gains. Incidentally, another property now under dispute between his wife and Jaya is a building the labour unions had ‘gifted' him as a thanksgiving gesture, since he had founded the unions.