Ahmed Patel “stood with party in most difficult times,” Rahul Gandhi wrote.
New Delhi:
Seasoned Congress leader Ahmed Patel was paid rich tributes by ex-party chief Rahul Gandhi this morning, hours after he died at a Gurgaon hospital. Sonia Gandhi’s top aide – Ahmed Patel – was 71.
In his tweet, Mr Gandhi remembered the staunch Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist as “a pillar of the Congress party”. “He lived and breathed Congress and stood with the party through its most difficult times. He was a tremendous asset,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter.
“We will miss him. My love and condolences to Faisal, Mumtaz & the family,” he added, and shared a picture of his party colleague, who was also the party’s top troubleshooter.
It is a sad day. Shri Ahmed Patel was a pillar of the Congress party. He lived and breathed Congress and stood with the party through its most difficult times. He was a tremendous asset.
We will miss him. My love and condolences to Faisal, Mumtaz & the family. pic.twitter.com/sZaOXOIMEX
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 25, 2020
Ahmed Patel, who represented Gujarat eight times in parliament, rose up the ranks in over four decades-long career.
He had tested positive for the highly contagious coronavirus, which has affected over 92 lakh people in India so far, on October 1. He was admitted to ICU of Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon on November 15, his son Faisal Patel said.
This morning, Faisal Patel tweeted about his father’s death. “With profound grief & sorrow, I regret to announce the sad and untimely demise of my father, ” he said in a statement.
“After testing positive for COVID-19 around a month back, his health worsened further due to multiple organ failures. I request all well wishers to adhere to Covid-19 law & order regulations by avoiding any mass gatherings and to also maintain social distancing norms at all times,” he further urged.
Senior Congress leaders paid tributes to their party colleague on Twitter. “Deeply saddened and shocked to learn about the untimely passing away of veteran Congress leader & friend Sh. #AhmedPatel ji. It is a great loss for Congress Party and all Congress workers like me. His contribution to the party will always be remembered,” Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot wrote.
“Shocked by the passing away of Shri @ahmedpatel I recollect fondly my interactions with him. We, @INCIndia, have lost a stalwart. My prayers are with @mfaisalpatel & his family,” tweeted Karti Chidambaram.
