Sonia, Mamata among those who inquired about my health: VP Jagdeep Dhankhar
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New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were among the leaders who got in touch with the family of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to inquire about his health after he was hospitalised for cardiac-related ailments.
Dhankhar revealed this in the Rajya Sabha on Monday as he resumed chairing the proceedings of the House.
He said he was "greatly touched" by the concerns expressed across party lines which contributed to his speedy recovery.
"The Leader of the House (and Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mallikarjun Kharge) were the first ones to get in touch with my family.
"Sonia Gandhi got in touch with my wife as did the chief ministers of several states including West Bengal," he added.
Gandhi was present in the House when Dhankhar mentioned this.
Dhankhar, who is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital on March 9 following cardiac-related ailments. He was discharged on March 12 and advised to take adequate rest.
In the Rajya Sabha on Monday, he said the concern shown was an "enlightenment" to him that "when it comes to a situation (like this), our hearts are connected".
"This will be a source of inspiration and enlightenment to me," he said.
He went on to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others visited him in the hospital and several others too wanted to but couldn't due to restrictions.
"I express my deep sense of gratitude," he said, adding there was hardly anyone who had not shown concern over his health.
Narrating his conversation with TMC leader Derek O'Brien last week, Dhankhar said he had called the opposition leader to wish him on his birthday, but he advised him to take rest.
"Derek O'Brien, irrepressible as usual, when I called him on his birthday during this period, he said shut up (and) take rest," Dhankhar said.
The period he referred to was the one when he was recuperating.
Monday was the first day when Dhankhar chaired the Rajya Sabha proceedings since being discharged from the hospital.
Earlier, Leader of the House and Union Minister Nadda wished for his speedy recovery and resumption of duties. He also wished Dhankhar good health and a long life.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Kharge.
He said that he thought the Rajya Sabha chairman would not attend the House for another four to six days. Kharge said he was pleasantly surprised by Dhankhar's enthusiasm and dedication towards work and resuming office quickly.
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World No. 1 Chakravarthy achieves career-best rating in ICC T20I bowler rankings
Dubai (PTI): India spinner Varun Chakravarthy on Wednesday consolidated his position at the top of the ICC Men's T20I Bowler Rankings, reaching a career-best rating following a stellar show in the ongoing T20 series against South Africa.
The 34-year-old Chakravarthy earned a new best rating of 818 points on the back of his third consecutive two-wicket haul in five-game home series.
The right-armer has six wickets across the first three matches of the series, with his spell of 2/11 from four economical overs in the most recent contest in Dharamsala proving pivotal in India's clinical seven-wicket triumph.
Chakravarthy (818 rating points) now holds a 119-point advantage over his closest rival in New Zealand seamer Jacob Duffy (699) in second-place, while also moveing inside the top 10 for the best rating of all-time for T20I bowlers.
Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh also improved four places to 16th overall on the rankings for T20I bowlers on the back of his Player of the Match heroics against the Proteas in the third game.
For South Africa, Marco Jansen (up 14 spots to 25th), Lungi Ngidi (up 11 rungs to 44th) and Ottneil Baartman also improved, reaching 68th from outside the top 100.
Among T20I batters, India now boast two players inside the top five on the rankings, with Tilak Varma gaining two spots to move to fourth overall after a trio of decent innings against South Africa.
Teammate Abhishek Sharma maintains a decent buffer at the top, while South Africa duo Aiden Markram (up eight places to 29th) and Quinton de Kock (up 14 spots to 43rd) made good ground following some decent recent efforts.
Pakistan's Saim Ayub has a narrow lead at the top of the rankings for T20I all-rounders despite not playing any international matches across the last week, with India's Shivam Dube the big mover on this list as he improves two places to 16th.
