Chennai: DMK president M. Karunanidhi has got better and his parameters got stable after suffering a serious setback late Sunday night at the ICU of the Kauvery Hospital. Doctors had said earlier that he showed significant improvement due to medical intervention since being brought from his Gopalapuram residence in the early hours of Saturday when his pulse dropped.
The 94-year-old DMK patriarch has been under treatment for fever due to urinary tract infection.
“He is stable. His parameters are good as of now. There was a setback but that has been handled. Not to worry”, said an informed source shortly after 11 pm. He was present at the ICU during the crisis time.
The DMK, earlier in the day, released a photograph showing Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu standing beside Karunanidhi’s hospital bed. With the TV channels flashing images of the picture and commentators pointing out that the leader was doing well even without any support systems such as the ventilator, the huge crowd of party cadres and fans filling up the Alwarpet junction outside the hospital burst into cheering.
Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, executive director of Kauvery Hospital, issued a bulletin at 9.50 pm saying there was a “transient setback in the critical condition” of Karunanidhi. “With active medical support, his vital signs are normalising. He continues to be closely monitored and treated by the panel of expert doctors”, said the brief statement.
Vice-President Naidu had earlier tweeted that doctors at Kauvery told him that Karunanidhi’s condition was stable. “Visited Kaveri Hospital and met former Chief Minister Thiru Kalaignar Karunanidhi. Met his family members and doctors and enquired about his health. Doctors said he is stable. Wish him a speedy recovery,” he tweeted.
However, unconfirmed reports trickling from the hospital sources insisted that the health condition of the DMK chief was fast deteriorating and the pulse had once again dropped. Police reinforcements were rushed and after repeated appeals from former Union Minister A. Raja asking the cadres to go home, because Kalaignar was on recovery path, failed to get response from the crowd that only grew, police resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the people and clear the roads.
At about 10.50 pm, Stalin too left the hospital. Other members of the family too went home to rest. But many of the DMK cadres kept coming back to Alwarpet through the night to continue their prayer and to keep vigil, despite police pressure.
Police reinforcements were rushed and after repeated appeals from former Union Minister A. Raja asking the cadres to go home, because Kalaignar was on recovery path, failed to get response from the crowd that only grew, police resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the people and clear the roads.
At about 10.50 pm, Stalin too left the hospital in what might have been an attempt to convey to the cadres that his father was stable and so they too could go home and rest.
