Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley remains critical; several top leaders visit AIIMS

Former Finance Minister and BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley is currently on life support at AIIMS, Delhi.

NEW DELHI: Several top political leaders from across the party lines visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital on Saturday as former finance minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley continued to remain in a critical condition.

The BJP stalwart is currently on life support at AIIMS. 

Among those leaders, who visited AIIMS to enquire about Jaitley's health included Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, BJP MP Rajyavardhan Rathore, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Jitendra Singh, BJP MP Mahesh Sharma and Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too came to AIIMS and visited the former finance minister.

Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik arrives at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) where former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is admitted. https://t.co/tjpCGBB7RT

— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2019

Earlier on Saturday, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also visited Jaitley at the hospital around 11:30 am. 

"Today I went to AIIMS to see former Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley to enquire about his health. There I met his family members and with them, I prayed to God for the speedy recovery of Jaitley Ji," she tweeted in Hindi.

पूर्व केन्द्रीय वित्त व रक्षा मंत्री व बीजेपी के वरिष्ठ नेता श्री अरुण जेठली के स्वास्थ्य का हालचाल लेने आज नई दिल्ली के एम्स अस्पताल गई। वहाँ उनके परिवार के लोगों आदि से मिलकर उन्हें दिलासा दिलाने के साथ- साथ कुदरत से प्रार्थना भी है कि वह श्री जेठली को शीघ्र स्वास्थ्य लाभ दे। — Mayawati (@Mayawati) August 17, 2019

According to reports, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, BJP leader Satish Upadhyay and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi also paid a visit to the former finance minister.

Dr Harsh Vardhan had also accompanied Union Home Minister Amit Shah when the latter visited Jaitley at around 11 pm on Friday to inquire about his health. 

President Ram Nath Kovind, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Minister of State (MoS) for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey had visited him at the hospital on Friday. 

The 66-year-old was admitted to the country's premier medical institution on August 9 morning and was put on ventilator late on the same night. Soon after he was admitted on August 9, PM Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Jaitley at the hospital.

According to an earlier medical bulletin by AIIMS, the former minister is under the supervision of a team comprising multidisciplinary doctors, adding that "he is hemodynamically stable". The hospital has not issued any medical bulletin on Jaitley's health after August 9. His heart and lungs are not functioning normally, sources told Zee News.