Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam praised M Karunanidhi for being a true Tamil leader.
Highlights
- M Karunanidhi's vital signs "normalising", say doctors
- A sea of supporters gathered outside the hospital
- The 94-year-old is suffering from urinary tract infection
After an offer of medical assistance for ailing DMK chief M Karunanidhi, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam met him at a Chennai hospital today. The AIADMK leaders also praised him as a leader of Tamils.
"His condition is stable now. I met his family members as well," Mr Palaniswami told reporters outside the Kauvery hospital.
The doctors attending to the 94-year-old political giant have maintained that his vital signs are "normalising". In a late night statement, the hospital said his health was improving and called it a "transient setback".
A sea of supporters, emotional and anxious, gathered outside the hospital and refused to leave despite appeals from Mr Karunanidhi's son and DMK's acting chief MK Stalin to maintain calm. Hundreds of police personnel have been deployed to prevent chaos.
The DMK patriarch, who is suffering from urinary tract infection, was also visited by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O' Brien met MK Stalin and Kanimozhi. Actor-politician Kamal Haasan, whom Mr Karunanidhi invited to his party 15 years ago, also visited the DMK chief.
A five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr Karunanidhi was recovering from a long illness when he contracted the infection and developed a fever. For more than a year, he has not made any public appearance except occasional visits to his party office. He was admitted in hospital last on July 18 for a change of tracheostomy tube.