Mansukh Mandaviya draws flak for clicking picture with bed-ridden Manmohan Singh at AIIMS

Manmohan Singh was admitted to AIIMS on Wednesday after he complained of fever and weakness

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday landed in controversy over visiting former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in AIIMS with a photographer and getting clicked with the ailing leader in a hospital bed "against the wishes" of the family.

The 89-year-old Rajya Sabha MP was admitted to AIIMS on Wednesday after he complained of fever and weakness. His condition is stable and improving, an AIIMS official said.

AICC Secretary Pranav Jha tweeted, "This is to inform that Dr Manmohan Singh-ji is doing fine. He is better than yesterday (Thursday). Let's all wish him a speedy recovery. Any unfounded speculation is unnecessary and in bad taste. Also request all to respect the former Prime Minister's privacy. Thank you!"

Mandaviya and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited Singh on Thursday to enquire about his health. While photographs of Rahul enquiring with doctors and Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur were released, the photos of Mandaviya with Singh lying on the bed and pictures of him entering the hospital with a photographer have gone viral and has drawn flak.

There was no immediate word from Mandaviya about the controversy, who is also the president of AIIMS.

Also Read | Manmohan Singh's condition stable, says AIIMS official

Singh's family is said to be upset with the episode involving Mandaviya's photographer. His daughter Damandeep Singh said her mother had objected to the presence of a photographer clicking pictures but was "completely ignored".

"She (Gursharan Kaur) was very upset. My parents are trying to cope in a difficult situation. They are elderly people. Not animals in a zoo," Damandeep said adding that it was nice of the Health Minister to visit and express his concerns but her parents were not in a state to be photographed.

Senior Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi said, "I know you all are concerned about the health of former PM Manmohan Singh but kindly do stop sharing photos of him from his hospital bed. It is an invasion of his and his family's privacy and not good conduct in any way."

While Jha made a remark on the photos without mentioning it in his tweet, Congress Lok Sabha Whip Manickam Tagore tweeted that it was a "serious breach of privacy" and asked why the Union Health Minister walked in with cameras into the hospital and published it.

"When former PM Vajpayee was in hospital, did we get pictures from AIIMS?" He said, asking AIIMS to answer. He said he would write to President Ram Nath Kovind to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers to "stop these petty things".

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