Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s condition continues to be critical at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. Vajpayee, 93, is on life support system at the country’s premier health institute where he had been undergoing treatment for the last nine weeks.
Rumours started floating around 2.30 pm that the BJP leader was no more, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the hospital, but the AIIMS authorities are yet to release any statement.
Vajpayee, a diabetes patient, was admitted to AIIMS on June 11 for what doctors had described as a routine check-up. He is being treated for a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion.
His condition had worsened on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s condition has worsened over the last 24 hours. His condition is critical and he is on life support system,” AIIMS said in the last statement issued late on Wednesday.
Vajpayee has only one functional kidney. In 2009, he had suffered a stroke, which weakened his cognitive abilities. Subsequently, he developed dementia.
The BJP stalwart has been under the supervision of Dr Randeep Guleria, a pulmonologist and currently the Director of AIIMS. Guleria had served as personal physician to Vajpayee for over three decades.
The hospital was flooded with politicians cutting across party lines. Among those who visited the BJP stalwart at the hospital on Thursday were Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, BJP chief Amit Shah, Home Minister Raj Nath Singh, senior BJP leader LK Advani, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Uma Bharti, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and NC president Farooq Abdullah.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to enquire about Vajpayee’s health and reportedly spent 15 minutes with Vajpayee.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP National President Amit Shah had visited Vajpayee on Saturday.
Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani and BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi also paid a visit to the hospital on Wednesday.
(An earlier version of the report had inadvertently said Vajpayee had passed away. There was confusion due to a quote of Home Minister Rajnath Singh with regard to the former PM’s health as he said ‘hamare beech nahi rahein’. DD News did also break the news of Vajpayee’s death)