Sonia Gandhi rushed back to Delhi from Shimla, stable now

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was shifted to Delhi on Thursday night after she reportedly fell ill during her stay in Shimla, is better now, said sources close to 10, Janpath.

Sonia Gandhi along with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had been to Chharabra village, 14 km from Shimla, on Thursday. Both of them had travelled to Shimla via road from Chandigarh and stayed at Hotel Wildflower Hall at Chharabra.

After checking the construction work of Priyanka’s cottage twice, Sonia returned to the hotel, complaining of uneasiness.

Security agencies immediately got in touch with the authorities at Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla and asked them to make arrangements for exigency medical service.

Senior medical superintendent of IGMC, Dr Ramesh Chand said around 11.45 pm, he was asked to arrange an ambulance.

“Since she (Sonia Gandhi) refused to get examined at Indira Gandhi Medical College and insisted on reaching Chandigarh, she was taken to Chandigarh late night,” an official told news agency IANS.

Sonia and Priyanka then left for Chandigarh in their vehicle by road. Dr Chand and a team of doctors accompanied them in an ambulance till Chandigarh.

He said the Congress leader’s condition was stable.

From Chandigarh, she was taken to Delhi by a special aircraft.

Sonia Gandhi had visited the cottage last year in October, but cut short her visit after she fell ill, and was flown to Delhi in special chopper from Kalyani helipad.

Nearing completion, the cottage is located close to the President of India’s summer holiday retreat in Chharabra.

The cottage, spread over 3.5 bighas (a bigha is about 0.4 hectare), is situated at a height of more than 8,000 feet amid verdant pine and cedar trees.