Atal Bihari Vajpayee admitted to AIIMS for urinary tract infection, nation prays for him

At age 93, BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee is currently the oldest living former PM.

Pic courtesy: PTI (File image)

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) patriarch and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was admitted to AIIMS on Monday and is being treated for urinary tract infection.

Earlier, the hospital had said that Vajpayee was admitted for a routine check-up and that his condition was stable. A team of doctors under the supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria were attending to the nonagenarian leader, a statement from the hospital had said.

A host of leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the BJP leader at the hospital. The PM met the doctors and enquired about the well-being of Vajpayee. He also met his family members and spent nearly 50 minutes at the hospital.

BJP veteran LK Advani, BJP president Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister JP Nadda, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi were among those who paid a visit to the ailing leader.

PM @narendramodi visited former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at AIIMS today. He was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes.

The Prime Minister interacted with family members of Shri Vajpayee. He also spoke to doctors and enquired about the health of Shri Vajpayee. pic.twitter.com/CctZYDJV8o — PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 11, 2018

Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh & senior BJP leader LK Advani arrive at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to visit former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. pic.twitter.com/7Ur3Q28CIn — ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi visited All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to meet former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is currently admitted there for a routine-check-up. pic.twitter.com/fiIECqbxJy — ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2018

As news of the former PM's health spread, many, including political leaders and common people prayed for his recovery.

अटल जी जल्द स्वस्थ हों यह पूरे मुल्क की दुवा है ,Get well soon Atal ji pic.twitter.com/rMHli3grqt — Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (@naqvimukhtar) June 11, 2018

ईश्वर से प्रार्थना है कि आदरणीय श्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी को वह स्वस्थ और दीर्घजीवी रखे तथा हम सभी पर उनका अभिभावक तुल्य स्नेह सदैव बना रहे।@BJP4India @BJP4Jharkhand — Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha) June 11, 2018

We pray for Shri Vajpayee ji's good health. — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) June 11, 2018

Pray to God for the speedy recovery of Atalji. — Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) June 11, 2018

Get well soon #AtalBihariVajpayee ji... — Rahul Dhankani (@dhankanirahul27) June 11, 2018

Wishing a speedy recovery for #AtalBihariVajpayee ji. — Shashwat Tripathi (@shashwat_rt) June 11, 2018

On 25 December 2014, Vajpayee was awarded the Bharat Ratna - India's highest civilian honour. The then President Pranab Mukherjee had conferred the award to Vajpayee at his residence on 27 March 2015.

#PresidentMukherjee conferred Bharat Ratna on Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee this evening pic.twitter.com/wNUObPxTXl — President Mukherjee (@POI13) March 27, 2015

Vajpayee, who was PM briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004, has retreated from active politics over the last few years due to failing health conditions. He was the first non-Congress PM to serve a full five-year term. Along with Advani, Vajpayee took the BJP from two seats in the Lok Sabha to power at the Centre.

He first entered the Lok Sabha in 1957. He was then elected to the 5th, 6th and 7th Lok Sabha and again to the 10th, 11th 12th and 13th and to Rajya Sabha in 1962 and 1986. In 2004, he won from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh for the fifth time consecutively.

At age 93, he is currently the oldest living former PM.

(With PTI inputs)