Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was on Wednesday admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai for a knee joint replacement surgery, which is scheduled to take place early on Thursday.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by his family members including foster daughter Namita and son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya.
Vajpayee inaugurated a tree plantation campaign launched by the state BJP by planting a banyan tree and a herbal plant in the hospital premises. He appealed to the state party chief Vinod Tawde to ensure that one lakh saplings were planted during the campaign out of which 50 saplings should be of tulsi.
Scores of BJP workers stood outside the hospital premises and raised slogans in favour of Vajpyaee. Maharashtra Governor Dr P C Alexander, Union Energy Minister Jaywantiben Mehta, Union Petroleum Minister Ram Naik, Information Technology Minister Pramod Mahajan, National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra and State Health Minister Digvijay Khanvilkar were among those present at the hospital.
The Prime Minister was taken to the seventh floor of the hospital where he would be put up after surgery. He would on Wednesday undergo pre-surgery checks.
Meanwhile, security in and around the hospital was beefed up.
Bureau Report
