Thaindian News

Mumbai, Aug 8 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan along with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and over half a dozen cabinet ministers Wednesday called on the ailing union Minister for Science and Technology Vilasrao Deshmukh in Chennai, an official here said.

The ministers went to Chennai’s Global Hospital, where Deshmukh (67) is reported to be in a “critical” condition and on life-support system the past three days.

Chavan, Pawar and other ministers spent nearly half an hour with Amit and Reitesh, sons of Vilasrao Deshmukh, and enquired after the leader’s health.

Besides Chavan and Pawar, other ministers who visited Deshmuh were R.R. Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Balasaheb Thorat, Jayant Patil, Nitin Raut, Rajendra Darda, Satej Patil and Naseem Khan.

A majority of them have worked closely with Deshmukh during his two stints as Maharashtra chief minister in the past, the official said.

They left for Chennai shortly after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting in Mumbai and are scheduled to return later in the evening, the official added.

Later Wednesday evening, some television channels, quoting family sources, claimed a visible improvement in Deshmukh’s condition, but there was no official confirmation from the hospital authorities.

In a related development, for the second day Wednesday, thousands of people in Deshmukh’s home town Latur took part in a prayer meeting for his speedy recovery.

Congressmen also have been organising prayer meetings in different parts of the state for Deshmukh to overcome his health crisis.