Kolkata, Jan 16 (Inditop.com) Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu’s condition continued to be “very, very critical” Saturday after he suffered multi-organ failure. His blood pressure had dropped during the night, but was controlled with medicines, doctors attending on him said.

“The level of carbon dioxide also increased in Basu’s body and it was later stabilised with the help of medicine. He was given more ventilator support,” Susrut Banerjee, critical care specialist at the AMRI Hospital, told reporters late Friday night.

“He is now under round the clock medical observation,” Banerjee said.

Earlier, cardiologist A. K. Maity, who heads the eight-member medical board treating the former West Bengal chief minister, said the 95-year-old leader’s heart and liver function had deteriorated and the sensorium of the brain was also very low.

According to hospital sources, the medical board will again meet to review Basu’s health condition and issue a medical bulletin.

The Communist icon was hospitalised after a pneumonia attack and admitted in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) of the Salt Lake-based private hospital Jan 1.

Born 1914 in Kolkata, Basu became chief minister of West Bengal in June 1977. He stepped down voluntarily on health grounds in November 2000.