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Former Gujarat chief minister and a stalwart who played a key role in building the BJP in Gujarat, Keshubhai Patel, died of cardiac arrest on Thursday morning. He was 92 years old.
Patel was rushed to a private hospital in Ahmedabad after he fell unconscious at his residence in Gandhinagar. The nonagenarian had recently tested positive for COVID-19, but had recovered.
The BJP veteran was the prime minister of Gujarat in 1995 when the party first came to power and again during 1998-2001. Prime Minister Narendra Modi succeeded him as Prime Minister of Gujarat in October 2001.
When the news of his passing became public, condolences began to pour in from top officials and leaders, including Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of the Interior Amit Shah.
President Ram Nath Kovind in his message of condolence tweeted: “With the disappearance of Keshubhai Patel, former chief minister of Gujarat, the nation has lost an unconditional leader. His long public life was dedicated to improving the lives of millions, especially in the villages. As an advocate for farmers’ causes, he enjoyed an extraordinary relationship with the masses. “
Paying a rich tribute to the late Prime Minister and rank-and-file leader, the Prime Minister described him as his mentor. “Our beloved and respected Keshubhai passed away… I am deeply hurt and saddened. He was an outstanding leader who cared for all sectors of society. He dedicated his life to the progress of Gujarat and the empowerment of all Gujaratis. “
“Keshubhai guided and trained many younger Karyakartas, myself included. Everyone loved his personable nature. His disappearance is an irreparable loss. We are all grieving today. My thoughts are with his family and supporters. He spoke with his son Bharat and expressed his condolences. Om Shanti, ”Modi tweeted from his social media account.
During his long political career, Mr. Patel, who had started his political entrances with Jan Sangh, was a six-time member of the State Assembly, a member of Rajya Sabha, and a Minister and Chief Minister of the State, in addition to holding the position of opposition leader.
After he resigned as Chief Minister in 2001 after the party’s poor performance in local elections and also after a devastating earthquake in which more than 15,000 people died in January 2001, Patel was sent to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
In the run-up to the Assembly elections in 2012, Patel had run a regional party, the Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP), which fared poorly, winning just two seats in the state. Before the 2014 parliamentary elections, Patel had resigned as the MLA while merging his GPP with BJP.
Subsequently, he retired from political life and devoted his time to the Somnath Temple Board, where he was chairman of the trust in which Mr. Modi and Mr. Amit Shah are also members.
As Chief Minister, Mr. Patel is credited with pioneering works in the construction of canal networks of the Narmada project to bring water from southern Gujarat to the water-hungry regions of Saurashtra and North Gujarat.
In fact, both his tenure and CM were marked by political instability that led him to resign in 1995 and subsequently from 1998 onwards, with natural calamities such as consecutive droughts, massive cyclones, and the devastating Bhuj earthquake in 2001.
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