Ministers, leaders troop into AIIMS as Vajpayee remains critical


New Delhi: The condition of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee remains critical and he continues to be on advanced life-support system, sources said.

The 93-year-old BJP leader was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on 11 June with a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion.

“Unfortunately, his condition has worsened. His condition is critical and he is on life-support system,” the AIIMS had said in the statement last night.

“Both his lungs are not in good condition because of pneumonia on both sides and kidneys are also weak. He is critical,” a source has said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited AIIMS Wednesday evening to enquire about the condition of Vajpayee. Modi reached the hospital around 7.15 pm and spent about 50 minutes there.

After Modi, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi also paid a visit.

Later in the night, several leaders and ministers including Suresh Prabhu, Jitendra Singh, Harsh Vardhan and Shahnawaz Hussain visited the hospital.

File photo of Vajpayee.

Earlier, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani had visited the hospital to check on Vajpayee. Vajpayee, a diabetic, has only one functional kidney. He had suffered a stroke in 2009 that weakened his cognitive abilities. Subsequently, he developed dementia.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu visited AIIMS today to enquire about the condition of Vajpayee. BJP chief Amit Shah, Union Health Minister J P Nadda, are at AIIMS, while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Union ministers Prakash Javadekar, Dharmendra Pradhan are expected to visit the premier medical institute soon.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh is also likely to visit AIIMS.