Pm In Mumbai For Knee Joint Replacement Surgery
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee yesterday moved to Mumbai for his knee joint replacement surgery along with his principal secretary Brajesh Mishra, joint secretary in the PMO Ashok Saikia, media advisor Ashok Tondon and personal secretary V Anandrajan. His family members have also accompanied him to Mumbai.
The Prime Minister will be operated upon by Dr Chitranjan Ranawat who has flown in from the US. A team of two doctors have also accompanied the Prime Minister from Delhi. Vajpayee is to be operated at the Breach Candy Hospital today.
Vajpayee will be operated under local anaesthesia, according to a family source. His adopted daughter Namita and grand-daughter Niharika accompanied him in the special aircraft yesterday. His foster son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya went to Mumbai on Sunday to oversee the arrangements. Union minister Pramod Mahajan is also personally supervising the arrangements for the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister has not taken leave from his responsibilities for the period of his operation and recuperation. He has not appointed any of his Cabinet colleagues as No 2 who could preside over Cabinet meetings. A PMO official said there was no need felt for that as the Prime Minister would be in a position to run his office from Mumbai.
It is for this reason, that four senior officials of the PMO have accompanied him. A temporary office has already been set up at Anand Guest House which is next door to the hospital. The office is equipped with all necessary requirements including a hotline, faxes, telephones, copiers, shredders. The Prime Minister