Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who underwent a surgery for an undisclosed ailment in the US on Thursday, has been shifted out of the intensive care unit (ICU), reports suggested on Saturday.
Sonia was moved out from the ICU to another room after spending 24 hours there.
"Sonia Gandhi remained in the ICU for 24 hours and has thereafter been moved out. Her family has expressed gratitude on her behalf for all the messages and good wishes that have been sent to her," Congress media department head Janardhan Dwivedi said in a statement today.
Dwivedi had yesterday said that her condition was stable post surgery.
In a brief statement issued by the party, the ailment of Gandhi was not disclosed.
The surgeon, who operated upon the 64-year-old leader, had said, “The operation was successful and she is recuperating in ICU.”
The statement by Janardhan Dwivedi also did not disclose the hospital and the country where the operation was performed.
Informed sources however said she was being treated at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The hospital refused to confirm or deny she was admitted there.
Her son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and son-in-law Robert Vadra are with Gandhi, the party said.
Gandhi's family has requested that her privacy be respected.
"This is a personal matter that pertains to her health and medical treatment. Her family requests that her privacy be respected," Dwivedi said.
Rahul Gandhi is expected to return to India as he has been named in the four-member core group that will look after the party in Sonia’s absence.
Sources in Delhi said that Gandhi could require a month's rest after she returns from abroad by the end of this month.
Gandhi had decided that in her absence a group comprising Rahul Gandhi and senior leaders AK Antony, Ahmed Patel and Dwivedi will look after party affairs.
This is for the first time that Rahul, who is projected as the future leader and potential Prime Minister, has been brought into the running of the party affairs directly. As general secretary so far he was looking after the Youth Congress and NSUI besides focusing his attention on poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
Interestingly, the group did not include Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and heavyweights in the government like Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidambaram and party leaders like Digvijay Singh.
The Congress president had been not keeping well in the past and because of her illness, she could not attend meetings of the Congress Core Group as also that of the Parliamentary Strategy Committee.
First Published: Saturday, August 06, 2011, 10:45