Former Assam CM Prafulla Kumar Mahanta airlifted to AIIMS Delhi after complaining of uneasiness

GUWAHATI: Assam's former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was airlifted to AIIMS-Delhi on Thursday after he complained of uneasiness, according to his close aide Dhruba Sarma.

Mahanta is suffering from gastritis and high pressure but is now stable, said Sarma.

A regular check-up will be done and his family members are with him, he said.

Mahanta, 68, was admitted to a private hospital in Guwahati in January after he had complained of chest pain and high blood pressure.

He was also rushed to a hospital in September.

The former student leader, who steered the six-year- long Assam agitation against illegal migrants, is currently an MLA from the Baharampur assembly constituency, which he has won for five consecutive terms since 1991.

Mahanta led the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) to power twice in 1985 and 1996 with his first government dismissed and President's Rule imposed in the state but he completed his second term and lost to the Congress in 2001.

He was the president of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) that spearheaded the Assam movement against illegal foreigners in the state, leading to the signing of the historic Assam Accord, of which he was a signatory.

He along with the then AASU leaders went on to form the AGP, which wrested power in the state, making Mahanta the country's youngest chief minister at 33.