Face of Nation : BJP leader and former finance minister Arun Jaitley continues to be on life support system Monday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. Several prominent leaders across political lines have paid Jaitley a visit since he was admitted to the hospital on August 9. A multidisciplinary team of doctors at AIIMS is monitoring his condition.
Jaitley, 66, was admitted to the hospital after he complained of palpitations and restlessness. He was placed under observation at the hospital’s Cardio-Neuro-Centre. On Friday, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had said, “Doctors at AIIMS are doing the best they can.” AIIMS has not issued any official medical bulletin on Jaitley’s health condition since August 10.
On Sunday, Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani Jitendra Singh, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the cardio-neuro centre to enquire about the health of the former union minister. BJP MPs Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Gautam Gambhir, and RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat also visited him. Several leaders, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal visited AIIMS on Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla visited AIIMS the night Jaitley was admitted to the hospital.
In May this year, too, Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS for treatment. After the Modi government returned to power, Jaitley wrote to the Prime Minister that he would like to stay away from “any responsibility” on account of his ill health. Jaitley, a lawyer by profession, had been an important part of Modi’s Cabinet in the BJP government’s first term. He held the finance and defence portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government.
In 2018, Jaitley had undergone a kidney transplant at AIIMS. In a tweet on April 6, 2018, he said: “I am being treated for kidney-related problems & certain infections that I have contracted.” In September 2014, he had undergone bariatric surgery because of a long-standing diabetic condition.
