Karunanidhi's condition continues to be stable
Chennai, July 30 : DMK President M. Karunanidhi's health condition is stable and his vital signs are normal on Monday, said a party spokesperson.
"Karunanidhi's condition is now stable after a minor setback in the form of breathing problem on Sunday night. The doctors at Kauvery Hospital are monitoring his condition," T.K.S. Elangovan told IANS.
He said the 94-year-old leader who was admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been moving his hands and legs and also opened his eyes.
Hospital sources have also said that Karunanidhi had moved his hands and legs and also opened his eyes after he was admitted in the ICU.
Karunanidhi, the five times Tamil Nadu Chief Minister who has never lost an assembly election in the 13 times he had contested, was admitted to the hospital on Saturday at 1.30 a.m. after his blood pressure dipped.
Anxiety about Karunanidhi's health condition reached a peak late on Sunday with all the family members and senior party leaders rushing to the hospital as he developed some breathing trouble.
Later the hospital issued a statement. It said: "There was a transient setback in the clinical condition of Karuanidhi, DMK President and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
"With active medical support, his vital signs are normalising. He continues to be closely monitored and treated by the panel of expert doctors."
Karunanidhi's son and DMK Working President M.K. Stalin has urged the thousands of party cadres gathered outside the hospital to remain calm.
In a statement late on Sunday, Stalin said Karunanidhi's medical condition has stabilised after a minor setback.
The police has been advising the cadres to disperse citing the hospital's statement about Karunanidhi's health condition. According to Elangovan, the anxiety amongst party cadres late on Sunday peaked after sudden deployment of police force in large numbers and the news of Chief Minister K. Palaniswami cancelling his programmes in Salem and rushing back to Chennai.
Chief Minister K.Palaniswami and his deputy O.Panneerselvam on Monday met Karunanidhi at hospital. Speaking to reporters Palaniswami said: "Karunanidhi's condition is stable".
Palaniswami and Panneerselvam met the ailing leader in the ICU along with Stalin and M. Kanomozhi.
On July 26, Kauvery Hospital said Karunanidhi was being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection with intravenous antibiotics and fluids at his home here.
However, after his blood pressure dipped he was admitted to Kauvery Hospital .
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
