 Vajpayee was referred to as the "Bhishma Pitamah" of Indian politics by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a speech in the Rajya Sabha, a reference to the character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata who was held in respect by two warring sides.Vajpayee was hospitalised at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi (AIIMS) for a chest infection and fever on 6 February 2009.He was put on ventilator support as his condition worsened but he eventually recuperated and was later discharged.