Karuna to have extended stay in hospital; Rahul meets him

DMK president M Karunanidhi will require an extended period of hospitalisation but he continued to maintain his vital signs with active medical support, a medical bulletin issued soon after Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited him said on Tuesday. The DMK also released a rare photograph Karunanidhi without his trademark yellow shawl and dark glasses taken when Rahul visited him in the Intensive Care Unit. In the photograph Karunanidhi's son M K Stalin was close to his father's ears apparently telling him about the VIP visitor.

Emerging from the hospital Rahul told journalists, “I wanted to come and see Karunanidhi ji and stand with him. He has the spirit of the Tamil people. We have a long relationship with Karunanidhi ji. So I thought I will come and see.” He said he was happy to see the Dravidian patriarch doing well. “He is very tough and he is stable,” the Congress leader added.

Shortly after his visit, the KauveryHospital in a bulletin said, on Sunday the DMK chief had suffered a setback due to difficulty in breathing but he responded well to medical management and his vital signs have gradually normalised. “Although there has been resolution of the condition which led to his hospital admission, an extended period of hospitalisation will be necessary due to age related overall decline in his general health, altered liver function and haematological parameters,” it said.