Nitin Gadkari faints due to low blood sugar at university convocation in Maharashtra

Mumbai: Nitin Gadkari, the Union minister for road transport and highways, fainted during a public event in Ahmednagar district on Friday due to low blood sugar.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was attending the convocation ceremony of the Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV) Agricultural University in Rahuri and lost his balance while the national anthem was being sung. Mr Gadkari later tweeted: “Had slight medical condition due to low sugar. I have been attended by doctors and I am doing well now. I thank all of you for all the well wishes (sic).”

Mr Gadkari happened to be standing with other dignitaries, including governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, at the event. A video recording of the event shows Mr Gadkari feeling uneasy, losing his balance and collapsing on the dais even as Mr Rao and others rush to prevent him from falling. A team of doctors examined the leader immediately after which his BJP colleagues described his condition as “stable”.

Dr Anil Bhoraskar, a city-based diabetologist who has treated Mr Gadkari, said, “Usually a person who has sugar fluctuation problems should be particular in terms of their diet and meal timings. Low blood sugar attacks can be caused due to overexertion and skipping meals.”

Another city-based diabetologist, Dr Shashank R. Joshi, said, “If you ignore the symptoms of hypoglycemia, a condition caused by a very low level of blood sugar (glucose), it may lead to severe consequences.” He had undergone a gastric bypass surgery for treatment of type-2 diabetes in 2011.