Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 27 : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Thursday claimed that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was in third or fourth stage of liver cirrhosis after he was admitted to a private hospital in Mohali.
He appealed to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government as well as the hospital authorities to provide details of his health condition in the public interest.
In a statement here, Majithia said, "As per credible information, Bhagwant Mann is in the third or fourth stage of liver cirrhosis and has been told to keep off liquor or undergo a liver transplant. He had to be hospitalised in an emergency last night due to the accumulation of fluids in his lungs and stomach, which caused breathlessness, all of which are classic symptoms of people suffering from liver cirrhosis."
Asserting that the AAP government had tried to keep the entire episode secret, Majithia said, "Only after I tweeted on this issue this morning did the government come out with a one-line statement that the chief minister had been admitted to the hospital for a routine check-up."
He said if the check-up was routine, then there was no need to admit the chief minister to the hospital at night. "Moreover, there are reports that he will be hospitalised for a few more days, indicating that he is suffering from severe ailments. Since Mr Bhagwant Mann occupies a constitutional post and Punjab is a sensitive border state, Punjabis need to be told about the exact condition of his health."
Stating that this was not the first time that the chief minister's health had deteriorated, Majithia said, "A few days earlier also he had to be hospitalised and was taken to a private hospital in Delhi. Now again, he has been hospitalised and will undergo an extended stay in the hospital."
Terming this as a serious issue, Majithia said, "The chief minister tried to brush off the issue, saying that even if he bent down to tie his shoelaces, people said he had taken a fall. I want to make it clear that the chief minister does not wear shoes that have laces. Moreover, the secrecy over Mann's health condition is leading to further consternation in the minds of Punjabis. This should be cleared immediately to avoid a situation that would lead to probes in case of an unforeseen incident, as had happened in the case of Jayalalitha in Tamil Nadu."
The SAD leader wished for Mann's speedy recovery and said the AAP government in Punjab had constantly warded off enquiries about the chief minister's health and had not disclosed the reason why he had to be hospitalised in Delhi repeatedly.
"I am told that the chief minister could not be airlifted to Delhi yesterday because of the late-night emergency and this is why the details of his health have leaked out. I again appeal to the government as well as the hospital authorities in Delhi and Mohali to disclose the ailments of Bhagwant Mann as well as treatments he is undergoing".
Mann has been admitted to Fortis Hospital for a regular checkup. Details of CM's health conditions are being taken through different types of tests, the Aam Aadmi Party stated in an official statement on Thursday.
Doctors said that the Chief Minister is absolutely fine and is not facing any special problems. Doctors have found in their examination that there are signs of inflammation in an artery of Chief Minister Mann's lungs, which is creating pressure on the heart, due to which the blood pressure starts fluctuating, according to the official statement.
Doctors further stated that some more investigation is yet to be done and some more blood tests are to be done, whose reports are awaited.Chief Minister Mann will be under the care tonight and the decision to release him from the hospital will be taken after the reports tomorrow morning, the official statement added.
Notably, the CM was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali on Wednesday night.