Kochi, Feb 1 (IANS): Congress MP K.V. Thomas said on Wednesday that former central minister E. Ahamed was declared dead on Tuesday but the hospital went mum later. He was finally declared dead on Wednesday.

Thomas told IANS that the manner the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital handled the Lok Sabha member's death was "mysterious".

Ahamed was formally declared dead on Wednesday morning by the hospital.

Thomas, who arrived in his constituency here on Wednesday, said when he reached the hospital on Tuesday after President Pranab Mukherjee's address to Parliament, "I was told Ahamed is no more.

"But soon things changed... Everything looks mysterious and surprising," he said.

When Ahamed's children reached the hospital, they were not allowed to see their father, Thomas said.

"There are doctors among his immediate family members and they too were not allowed entry."

Thomas alleged that the whole drama was enacted on Tuesday just to ensure that the union budget was presented on Wednesday.

"See, the budget got presented as planned. All this unpleasant situation could have been avoided," said Thomas, a senior Congress leader.

Jose K. Mani, a Lok Sabha member from Kottayam and representing the Kerala Congress (Mani), told IANS that when he reached the Delhi hospital, he could make out from the body language of doctors that they had lost hope of saving Ahamed.

"After a while, when a union minister came to the hospital and met the authorities, there was a change in attitude. The minister didn't even come to us though we were in large numbers," said Mani.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it was "most unfortunate" that when a senior member of the house passed away, the union budget was presented on Wednesday.