Former prime minister Manmohan Singh tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday.
Party sources maintain that Singh's condition is stable and he has been admitted at AIIMS Trauma Centre as a precaution given his advanced age and co-morbidities. Singh had attended the virtually convened Congress Working Committee meeting on Saturday where party leaders discussed the ongoing Covid crisis and suggestions to be made to the Centre for containing the pandemic. On Sunday, the former PM had also written a 3-page letter to Narendra Modi detailing suggestions from the Congress party on augmenting the vaccination drive and other measures to contain the infection that has been rapidly spreading across the country, inflicting over 2 lakh people daily for the past few days. Earlier on Monday, health minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan had responded to Singh through a letter criticising him and the Congress party instead.
Advertisement
Singh has a history of various ailments, including cardiac problems. He has had two cardiac surgeries - in 1990 and 2009 - and had also undergone a stenting procedure in 2004. He was also admitted to AIIMS in May last year after reporting some cardiac complications, which were reportedly the result of changed medication.
Congress sources say, owing to his medical history and age, Singh had largely confined himself to his official residence in Lutyen's Delhi since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic last year and preferred attending party meetings and discussions virtually.
Responding to the news of Singh’s hospitalisation, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wished him a speedy recovery.
Advertisement
“Dear Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji, Wishing you a speedy recovery. India needs your guidance and advice in this difficult time,” Gandhi tweeted.
Singh joins a slew of other politicians, who recently tested positive for the virus including former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Union minister Sanjeev Balyan among others.
