Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to visit Karunanidhi at 12.30 PM today

Vice President Venkiah Naidu has arrived at Chennai to visit the ailing DMK Supremo M Karunanidhi and his family memebers to enquire about his health.

Naidu is expected to visit Kauvery hospital at 12.30 pm today. Security has been beefed up in around the hospital prior to his arrival.

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Deputy CM O Panneerselvam and Minister Jayakumar welcomed the Vice President.

Family members, including estranged son MK Alagiri and senior DMK leaders, have been shuttling between their houses and the hospital since Saturday morning. The same morning, Karunanidhi’s daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi told the media outside the hospital, “He is better,” parrying queries about the scare last night and fears expressed about her father’s health condition. 

Sources close to the family told DTNext, “The 94-year-old DMK chief is breathing naturally without ventilator support. His BP is normal, but he is being administered drugs for infections.” Sources added he would be kept under observation for at least another 48 hours. 

Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mukul Wasnik visited and inquired about the DMK chief’s health with Stalin and Kanimozhi. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former BJP leader Yaswant Sinha wished him well on Twitter. 

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who had a “long discussion” with the family, told press persons, “Karunanidhiji is in ICU. We met Stalin, Kanimozhi and her mother. We are happy that he is stable.