M Karunanidhi was admitted to hospital in Chennai on Thursday for the second time in two weeks.
With DMK chief M Karunanidhi recovering in hospital, the party has postponed its annual General Council meeting, which was scheduled to take place on Tuesday. "The new date will be announced later," DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan said in a statement.
There has been intense speculation that the agenda of the meeting was to elevate party treasurer MK Stalin as the Working President since the 93-year-old party chief has not been keeping well for the last two months. However, a DMK spokesperson dismissed this as a rumour.
Mr Karunanidhi was admitted to Chennai's Kauvery Hospital on Thursday for the second time in two weeks after he faced difficulties in breathing due to a throat and lung infection. He underwent a tracheostomy yesterday, and the hospital said, "Karunanidhi is on antibiotics and stable."
This morning, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi visited Mr Karunanidhi at the hospital and wished him a speedy recovery.
The DMK headquarters' release today said Mr Karunanidhi will be in the hospital for "some more days" to undergo treatment. The party asked cadres and friends to avoid visiting him and to "cooperate."
The DMK had initially said that Mr Karunanidhi suffered from a drug-induced allergy. But when he was admitted on December 1, the hospital said "he was being treated for optimisation of nutrition and hydration." He was discharged on December 8 before being readmitted on Thursday.
The General Council, the party's highest decision-making body, is required to meet at least once a year by the Election Commission.