As former finance minister Arun Jaitley remains on life support, many politicians, including veteran BJP leader LK Advani, paid him visit at AIIMS on Monday, 19 August, to enquire about his health.
Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and BJP national general-secretary Arun Singh also visited the hospital to know about his well-being.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat and UP Governor Anandiben Patel, visited the hospital on Monday, 19 August as well.
Other leaders who paid a visit include Ravi Shankar Prasad and Santosh Gangwar, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Delhi L-G Anil Baijal, BJP national general-secretary Arun Singh and party MP Maneka Gandhi.
Jaitley, 66, was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on 9 August, after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness.
AIIMS has not issued any bulletin on Jaitley’s health condition since 10 August.
Jaitley on Life Support
According to sources, he is on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support. A multidisciplinary team of doctors is consistently monitoring his condition.
"Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is on Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support, in critical stage at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Cardio-Neuro Centre, Delhi. On urge for dialysis to start (sic)," said sources.
According to reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are also likely to visit AIIMS to enquire about the health of Jaitley.
RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Harsh Vardhan and Smriti Irani, Congress leaders Abhishek Singhvi and Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa are among the leaders to have already paid a visit to Jaitley.
On Saturday, BSP chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati also visited the hospital.
"I visited AIIMS today to enquire about the health condition of former finance and defence minister, and senior BJP leader Shri Arun Jaitley. I met his family and consoled them and prayed to the almighty that he recovers soon," Mayawati tweeted.
Vardhan had said on Friday that the doctors at AIIMS are doing the best they can. President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had visited AIIMS on Friday to check on the leader's health.
No Medical Bulletin Since 10 August
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has not issued any bulletin on Jaitley's health condition since 10 August. Jaitley was admitted on 9 August after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness. In May this year, he was admitted to the AIIMS for treatment.
Jaitley, a lawyer by profession, had been an important part in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet during the first term of the BJP government. He held the finance and defence portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government.
AIIMS had released a statement after Jaitley was admitted on 9 August, saying: “At present, he is haemodynamically stable,” the statement said.
Jaitley had undergone renal transplant on 14 May 2018, with Piyush Goyal filling in for him. He had stopped attending office since early April 2018 and only returned to the finance ministry on August 2018.
The former finance minister did not contest the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, presumably because of his ill-health.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI and CNNNews18)
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