Elderly Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, 79, fainted while attending a prayer meeting at Sabarmati Ashram on Tuesday, sending alarm in the middle of Gujarat's heatwave with temperatures almost reaching 40°C.
The incident came on the heels of Chidambaram's visit to an extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad. He was a member of a Congress delegation to the Ashram as part of the party's wider outreach and review exercise in the state.
Eyewitnesses said Chidambaram slumped at the ceremony. He was immediately supported by other Congress leaders and taken to a local hospital in an ambulance. Physicians suspect dehydration and exhaustion due to the heat.
His son, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, subsequently allayed fears of the public through X (formerly Twitter), stating, "He is fine and under observation. Doctors are attending to him."
Chidambaram himself tweeted an update, saying, "I got dehydrated because of the heat. I got all the tests conducted at the hospital. I am fine now. Thank you, everyone."
A known sharp legal mind and architect of key economic policies, Chidambaram has served in a number of crucial portfolios such as Union Finance and Home Affairs. He is still a key strategist for the Congress party, particularly in the run-up to the next general elections.
A complete health bulletin is imminent, but doctors have assured that he is stable. Party leaders have breathed a sigh of relief and hope he will be back in business after a brief rest.
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