Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Putting an end to the speculations about party chief Sonia Gandhi’s health, Congress on Friday informed that the leader underwent a surgery in US and is currently in ICU. Her condition is stable, the party further added.
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 said, “The operation was successful and she is recuperating in ICU.”
The statement by Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi, however, did not disclose what was the surgery and the hospital and the country where it was performed.
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.
The talk in party circles is that Gandhi had during her
US trips a few months ago got but suggested it may not not be
minor.
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 Youth Congress
and NSUI besides focusing his attention on poll-bound Uttar
Pradesh.
Interestingly, the group did not not include Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and heavyweights in the government
like Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidambaram and party leaders
like Digvijay Singh.
Asked to explain the absence of the Prime Minister and
Mukherjee from the group, Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari
had said yesterday "they (the Prime Minister and Finance
Minister) are senior members who have been active in the
organisation for long".
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: Friday, August 05, 2011, 10:50