Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s eldest son Rakesh who was on a tour of Belgium has fallen ill and has been hospitalized in the University Hospital Brussels in Belgium.

Sources close to the Chief Minister said Mr. Rakesh was suffering from a pancreatic ailment and was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday. He was in the intensive care unit (ICU) and recovering, sources said.

“Rakesh’s condition is stable and he is responding to treatment,” said Siddaramaiah on Wednesday. He is leaving for Belgium by an early morning flight on Thursday.

The Chief Minister who heard about his son’s hospitalisation on Tuesday, spoke to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, seeking her assistance to ensure that his son gets the best treatment in Belgium.

Sources said that the Chief Minister’s wife, his younger son Yathindra Siddaramaiah, and the family doctor Ravi Kumar have already left for Belgium.

Rakesh who had tried his luck in the Kannada film industry is now busy preparing to fight elections from the Varuna Assembly constituency which is presently represented by his father.