‘Gentle, hardworking man': PM meets Vijay Rupani's family

Time of India

2 days ago

Ahmedabad:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and a host of BJP leaders on Friday met the family members of former chief minister
Vijay Rupani
and offered their condolences. Rupani was among the victims of the Boeing Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The PM remembered Rupani as a gentle, hardworking man and a committed member of the party.
Rupani's wife Anjali, accompanied by their daughter Radhika, arrived on Friday from London. Their son Rushabh is expected to arrive in the early hours of Saturday after which it will be decided whether the last rites will be held in Gandhinagar or their hometown Rajkot, the family members said.
Meanwhile, Rupani's sister provided her DNA samples to the authorities on Friday afternoon, so that the formalities required for the handover of his mortal remains could be completed.
Pictures released by the state govt showed PM standing solemnly beside a visibly distraught Anjali Rupani and their family members.
The PM later posted on his X handle, "I am not ready to accept that Rupani is no more with us."
After meeting the Rupani family, the PM said, "We worked shoulder to shoulder in many challenging times. Vijaybhai, who was simple and gentle in nature, was very hardworking and committed to the ideology of the party."
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"Vijaybhai and I also worked extensively when he was the Gujarat CM. He ushered in many measures that enhanced Gujarat's growth trajectory, particularly in boosting the Ease of Living index. Will always cherish the interactions we had. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this hour of grief. Om Shanti," the PM said after his meeting with the family at the GujSail building near the airport.
Chief minister Bhupendra Patel and other state BJP leaders also paid tributes to the former chief minister.
"His contribution to the overall development of Gujarat will always be remembered. May God give courage to the bereaved family members," Patel said.
Apart from the PM and CM, a large number of leaders, sitting and former ministers, MPs, MLAs and senior IAS and IPS officers visited the Rupani family in Gandhinagar and offered their condolences. Senior party leader Nitin Patel, who was deputy CM during Rupani's tenure as CM and shared a special bond with him, said, "Vijay Rupani was loved by people across the state and country.
As the deputy CM, I spent several hours with him every day as we took decisions together.
He lived a simple life and was a committed member of the party."
Rupani served as Gujarat CM for two terms from Aug 7, 2016, to Sep 11, 2021, after winning the assembly elections from the Rajkot West seat. He was the BJP in-charge of Punjab. At Rupani's hometown Rajkot, a large number of shops and establishments remained closed on Friday.
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