Chennai: Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin on Saturday visited the Apollo Hospital to enquire about the health of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, undergoing ICU treatment since September 22, and told reporters waiting outside that her doctors told him she was improving.
The DMK leader said he visited the hospital on instructions from party chief M. Karunanidhi who desired that he should find out from the Apollo doctors about the CM’s health condition.
Even though he could not see Jayalalithaa, he was able to get her medical status from her doctors and also from finance minister O. Panneerselvam, health minister C. Vijayabaskar and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M. Thambidurai.
“They told us that the Chief Minister is progressing well. As already stated, our leader Kalaignar and the others in the DMK wish her speedy recovery so that she could return home and resume her duties”, Stalin said, while referring to the Apollo bulletin issued Thursday saying Jayalalithaa would need longer stay in the hospital.
BJP state president Tamilisai Soundarrajan too visited Apollo and said she was confident that the chief minister would recover just as she had crossed several other hurdles in her life.
Earlier in the day, MDMK chief Vaiko went to the hospital and told reporters outside that he had met the doctors treating the CM, including the UK specialist Richard John Beale.
He thanked Dr Beale for flying down from London to attend to Jayalalithaa, he said, adding that the AIADMK cadre need not worry as she would get well soon. He also lauded the CM for taking the “right stand in the Cauvery dispute and fighting for the rights of Tamil Nadu from the beginning”.
Asked to comment on the demand from some quarters for swearing in an ‘acting CM’ to take care of the administration in Jayalalithaa’s absence, Vaiko shot back, “No, not necessary”.
