Congress president Sonia Gandhi was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here late Monday evening, hours after she made an impassioned appeal in the Lok Sabha seeking support for the Food Security Bill, even as voting was under way on the various Opposition amendments.
Ms. Gandhi has been admitted to the ICU of the cardio neuro centre as a precautionary measure, a PRO for the hospital said. She is undergoing some tests and is under observation. Sources said she left the Lok Sabha after complaining of chest pain — she had been suffering from viral fever from Sunday night.
The UPA chairperson was seen leaving Parliament House at 8.15 p.m., escorted by Union Minister Kumari Selja and son — and Congress vice-president — Rahul Gandhi. TV visuals showed her emerging from Parliament House, looking a little unsteady on her feet.
For Ms. Gandhi, who spearheaded the effort to push through the ambitious Food Bill that the UPA hopes will be the centrepiece of its bid next year to return to power, Monday was a big day. Indeed, her concise 15-minute speech did not just receive repeated applause from ruling party benches — but also occasional thumping of desks from the Opposition.
