Who was Vijay Rupani? The ‘low-profile' ex- Gujarat CM who died in Air India plane crash
Air India Plane Crash: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was onboard the London-bound Air India flight that crashed near Ahmedabad airport, has passed away in the tragic accident. Rupani, 68, was headed to London to meet his family.
"Our leader and former Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani, was going (to London) to meet his family. He is also a victim inf this incident. May his soul rest in peace. This is a big loss for the BJP," Union Minister CR Patil told news agency PTI.
Rupani, 68, was among the 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar five moments after take-off on Thursday afternoon.
Rupani, the 16th chief minister of Gujarat for two terms from 2016 to 2021, was born to Mayaben and Ramniklal Rupani, in Yangon, Myanmar to a Jain Bania family. Rupani was the seventh and youngest son of the couple. Rupani's family moved to Rajkot in 1960 due to political instability in Burma
This is the second incident involving a sitting or former Gujarat chief minister meeting this tragic fate in an air accident, a tragic echo of Balwantrai Mehta's death six decades ago.
In September 1965, Balwantrai Mehta, Gujarat's second CM was flying a Beechcraft from Ahmedabad to Mithapur when the aircraft was shot down by the Pakistani Air Force during the Indo-Pak war.
Believing the civilian plane to be a military threat, two F-86 Sabre jets opened fire near the Rann of Kutch, killing Mehta, his wife Sarojben, aides, a journalist, and two crew members.
A low-profile BJP leader, Rupani was known within Gujarat political circles as a someone who didn't speak much. Rupani rose through the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to become Gujarat's Chief Minister in 2016.
Rupani studied Bachelor of Arts from Dharmendrasinhji Arts College and law from Saurashtra University
Rupani worked as an activist of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad during his college days. He was an active participant in the Navnirman movement and was inspired by the Jai Prakash Narayan-led anti-graft movement. He joined the BJP when he was all of 24.
In 1975, Rupani was imprisoned in Bhavnagar Jail after he protested against Indra Gandhi's Emergency. Rupani is also an active Swayam Sevak of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh.
A member of Gujarat's Jain community, Rupani worked largely within the party organisation before winning his first Assembly election from Rajkot West in a bypoll in 2014.
Key Takeaways Vijay Rupani served two terms as Gujarat's Chief Minister from 2016 to 2021.
He was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and rose through party ranks.
Rupani's death is reminiscent of another Gujarat CM, Balwantrai Mehta, who died in a plane crash over 60 years ago.
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