Jailed Rashtriya Janata Dal Supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav will be shifted to AIIMS in Delhi today for treatment after his health deteriorated. His son and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and family, who are in Ranchi with him, are likely to accompany the former chief minister to the top medical institute in the national capital.
Prasad (72), convicted in Bihar fodder scam cases, is undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) here for multiple ailments.
“Lalu Prasad is having trouble breathing for the last two days. On Friday, he was found to be having pneumonia. Considering his age, we have decided to shift him to AIIMS-Delhi on the advice of doctors for better treatment,” RIMS Director Dr Kameshwar Prasad told PTI.
“He is likely to be shifted to AIIMS today. We have already spoken to the experts at AIIMS,” he added.
Lalu Yadav is being treated for a lung infection at a hospital in Ranchi, where he is serving a sentence after he was convicted in the Bihar fodder scam.
A medical board of the jail has said he can be shifted to AIIMS. The jail administration will also have to take permission from a lower court to move Lalu Yadav to Delhi.
Tejashwi Yadav said he would speak with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and ask for better treatment for his father.
"We want better treatment for him, but it is for doctors to analyse what treatment can be provided here, after all the test reports come. His situation is serious. I will meet the Chief Minister on Saturday," Tejashwi Yadav told reporters in Ranchi on Friday.
"He has already undergone heart surgery earlier and only 25 per cent of his kidney is functional. He has also been diagnosed with pneumonia. He is facing difficulty while breathing," the RJD leader said.
The Jharkhand High Court on Friday heard about the violation of the jail manual by Lalu Prasad while he was admitted at RIMS, pulling up the hospital authorities, the jail administration and the state government.
The case will be next heard on February 5.