AAP protest at L-G's office: Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain stable now, was hospitalised on sixth day of hunger strike

Amid the ongoing tug of war between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain was rushed to hospital on Sunday night. Jain was admitted to Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital as his health deteriorated, nearly a week after he began an indefinite hunger strike at the lieutenant governor’s office. Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal tweeted about Jain’s hospitalisation on Sunday. On Monday morning, he tweeted saying Jain was taken to hospital after complaining of a headache, body ache and difficulty in breathing and urinating. His ketone levels had increased. “Now, he is doing well,” Kejriwal said.

Satyender Jain shifted to hospital due to his deteriorating health

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 17, 2018

Good morning Delhi

Last nite, Satinder Jain’s ketone levels increased n he complained of headache, bodyache, difficulty in breathing n difficulty in passing urine. So, he had to be shifted to hospital. Now, he is doing well.

It is 6th day of Mansh’s fast. He is doing well

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 18, 2018

A doctor at LNJP Hospital said the health minister was admitted to hospital after he had complained of a headache, nausea and breathing problems in the evening. “His blood pressure is normal now. He has some breathing issues, but is stable. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s ketone level is also high. Kejriwal is fine as he is not on a hunger strike,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.   [caption id=“attachment_4529531” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain was admitted to Lok Naik hospital on Sunday night. Image courtesy: Pallavi Rebbapragada[/caption] Earlier, Jain had said in a statement: “My reports can be checked by any doctor. Ketones are increasing and blood sugar is constantly very low. Lost 3.7 kilograms in four days.” The sit-in protest by Kejriwal and three ministers at the L-G’s office continued for the seventh day on Sunday. They have stayed put at the lieutenant-governor’s office demanding that Baijal direct IAS officers to end what the AAP described as their “strike” and approve the government’s doorstep ration delivery scheme. The political slugfest between parties continued, with the AAP upping the ante and organising a massive march to the prime minister’s residence. The police, however, stopped the march midway. The  chief ministers of four non-BJP ruled states  have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and resolve the Delhi crisis. Later in the day, Kejriwal tried to salvage the situation by sending out an “ assurance of safety ” to Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, whom he called part of his families. The Delhi IAS association in response has asked the government not to use its officers for “political gains” and rebutted its claim that they were on strike. It had also said that the AAP dispensation needed to “change its attitude”. Revenue Secretary Manisha Saxena, along with Transport Commissioner Varsha Joshi, District Magistrate of South Delhi Amjad Tak and Directorate of Information and Publicity Secretary Jaydev Sarangi held a press conference and said that IAS officers in Delhi were “working with utmost sincerity and dedication”. Countering Kejriwal’s allegations, Saxena —a senior member of IAS AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) Association — said that officers were not working at the behest of anyone. “We are answerable only to the law and the Constitution,” Saxena said, adding that they had been targeted and victimised. “We would like to inform that we are not on strike,” she said. In response to the IAS association, Kejriwal later in the night assured them that he would ensure their safety saying they were part of his family and sought to break the four- month-long impasse between the AAP dispensation and the officers over an alleged assault on Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. With inputs from PTI