Punjab CM Mann admitted to hospital for routine checkup

Chandigarh/Mohali : Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann was admitted to Fortis hospital in Mohali for routine health checkup, a spokesperson from the chief minister’s office (CMO) said on Thursday.

The spokesperson said following tests, doctors found him to be absolutely fine with no significant issues. “During the examination, doctors detected signs of swelling in an artery in his lungs, which is putting pressure on the heart and causing fluctuations in blood pressure,” said the spokesperson, quoting the medical team at the private hospital. The spokesperson added that doctors plan to conduct additional tests, keep the CM under observation overnight and decide the next steps after reviewing the test results.

A close aide of the chief minister said that Mann went to the hospital as he was having some health issues for the past few days and wanted to get some tests done. A CMO official also said the chief minister was okay. “These are routine tests. There is no reason to worry. We are in contact with him,” he said. The hospital management was neither available for comment, nor did it issue a health bulletin till the time of filing of this report.

Punjab AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said the CM was stable and would stay in the hospital for more health tests to be conducted on Friday.

The chief minister’s hospitalisation sparked off speculation about his health, with some political rivals even taking digs at the ruling AAP. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa criticised AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal for his reckless governance of Punjab, holding him directly responsible for the state’s deteriorating condition due to the appointment of an “unfit CM”. “Kejriwal has utterly failed Punjab by appointing a chief minister who is incapable of fulfilling his duties, leading the state towards destruction. Instead of rescuing Punjab from its crises, Kejriwal has chosen to turn a blind eye to its downward spiral,” he alleged in a statement.

Bajwa called for transparency regarding Mann’s health, stating, “I call upon health minister Dr Balbir Singh to immediately issue regular health bulletins on the chief minister’s condition. People of Punjab deserve transparency and should not be left guessing about their leader’s whereabouts or health status,” he added.