Former Gujarat CM and BJP veteran Keshubhai Patel no more; President, PM Modi express condolences

29-Oct-2020

Keshubhai Patel, former chief minister of Gujarat, passed away on Thursday at the age of 92 after a prolonged illness. Family sources said Patel was rushed to a hospital in Ahmedabad this morning after developing health complications. Patel had in September tested positive for coronavirus and was asymptomatic. He recovered later from the disease. "Though he recently recovered from coronavirus, his health kept deteriorating due to post-Covid effects in the body," Patel's son Bharat Patel was quoted as saying. "We rushed him to a hospital here after his health deteriorated today morning. Though doctors tried hard, he could not survive," Bharat Patel told reporters. �We tried to revive him but couldn't after he was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state, following sudden cardiac arrest. He was declared dead at 11:55 am. He didn't die due to coronavirus: Dr Akshay Kiledar, administration, Sterling Hospital, said. Patel was close to PM Narendra Modi, who also hails from Gujarat and served the state thrice as CM. Patel served as Gujarat chief minister in 1995 and again during 1998-2001. He was succeeded by Modi as Gujarat chief minister. Patel was elected to the Gujarat Legislative Assembly six times. At the fag end of his political career, Patel had quit the BJP in 2012 and formed his Gujarat Parivartan Party. The new party failed to shine in 2012 Assembly Elections and Patel later merged it with the BJP in 2014. Patel, who was born in Visavadar town of Gujarat�s Junagadh district in 1928, had become a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1945. His first stint in politics was as a worker for the Jan Sangh. Patel had also served as chairman of the Shree Somnath Trust, which oversees affairs of the famous Somnath temple in Saurashtra region. Reacting to the development, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani described the demise of the BJP stalwart as a huge loss for the people of Gujarat. Rupani said at a rally, "Keshubhai Patel, the leader who made BJP big from Jan Sangh days, who dedicated his entire life for service of nation and farmers, has died today. This is a big loss to Gujarat and the BJP." President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted, "With the demise of Keshubhai Patel, former Gujarat chief minister, the nation has lost a stalwart leader. His long public life was dedicated to improving the lives of millions, especially in villages. As champion of farmers causes, he enjoyed extraordinary rapport with masses." Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Our beloved and respected Keshubhai has passed awayI am deeply pained and saddened. He was an outstanding leader who cared for every section of society. His life was devoted towards the progress of Gujarat and the empowerment of every Gujarati."