Mamata visits Buddhadeb in hospital

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday visited former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at the city’s private hospital. Talking to reporters after meeting the ex-CM, Banerjee said that he waved his hand when she visited him. She also said that he had been taken off the ventilator. “He has been taken off the ventilator. But on bi-pap support. I feel his parameters were normal,” she said.

Doctors on Monday said he had been taken off the mechanical ventilator and was now on non-invasive ventilation support (bi-pap). His vital parameters are stable but he will remain under constant monitoring, the doctors said, adding that the next 24 hours were critical.

Bhattacharjee, who was the CM from 2000 to 2011, has been suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and other old age-related ailments for quite some time.