Former Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel dead
Former Gujarat chief ministerKeshubhai Patel died here on Thursday after prolonged illness,family sources said.
Patel (92) had recovered from COVID-19 recently andwas rushed to a hospital in Ahmedabad Thursday morning morningfollowing health complications, the sources said.
The BJP veteran was the state chief minister in 1995and again during 1998-2001. Narendra Modi had succeeded him asGujarat chief minister.
Patel was a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assemblysix times. He quit the BJP in 2012 and floated the GujaratParivartan Party, which performed poorly in 2012 Assemblypolls and merged with the BJP in 2014.
Born in Visavadar town of Junagadh district in 1928,Patel joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1945 asa pracharak. He started his political career as a worker forthe Jan Sangh.
“Though he recently recovered from coronavirus, hishealth kept deteriorating due to post-Covid effects in thebody,” said Patels son Bharat Patel.
“We rushed him to a hospital here after his healthdeteriorated today morning. Though doctors tried hard, hecould not survive,” Patel told reporters.
Patel was also the chairman of the Shree SomnathTrust, which manages the famous Somnath temple in Saurashtraregion.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani paid tributes tothe BJP stalwart saying Patels death is a huge loss for thepeople of Gujarat.
Speaking at a rally at Ghadhada, where bypolls will beheld on November 3, Rupani said, “Keshubhai Patel, the leaderwho made BJP big from Jan Sangh days, who dedicated his entirelife for service of nation and farmers, has died today. Thisis a big loss to Gujarat and the BJP.” President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted, “With the demise ofKeshubhai Patel, former Gujarat chief minister, the nation haslost a stalwart leader. His long public life was dedicated toimproving the lives of millions, especially in villages. Aschampion of farmers causes, he enjoyed extraordinary rapportwith masses.” Prime Minister Narednra Modi tweeted, “Our beloved andrespected Keshubhai has passed awayI am deeply pained andsaddened. He was an outstanding leader who cared for everysection of society. His life was devoted towards the progressof Gujarat and the empowerment of every Gujarati.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)