President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a host of leaders including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP chief JP Nadda condoled the death of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel and hailed his contribution to his party and public life.
Kovind said he was distressed to learn that Patel is no more. “An astute Parliamentarian, Shri Patel combined the skills of a strategist and the charm of a mass leader. His amiability won him friends across party lines. My condolences to his family and friends,” he tweeted and later at a public function he paid tributes in the mids of his speech.
Patel, 71, died at a Gurugram hospital in the early hours of Wednesday due to multiple organ failure more than a month after he tested positive for COVID-19. Patel, who leaves behind his wife, son and daughter, is the second senior Congress leader to have died due to COVID-related complications in two days. On Monday, former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi died in Guwahati.
In a statement, the Congress said party workers across the country are deeply pained by Patel”s demise. As a mark of respect, the Congress party flag will fly at half mast for the next three days, the party said.
Vice president Naidu said he was deeply saddened. “He was an able parliamentarian and always maintained cordial relations with leaders across the political spectrum,” the Vice President Secretariat tweeted quoting Naidu.
Prime Minister Modi said Patel”s role in strengthening the Congress will always be remembered. “Known for his sharp mind, his role in strengthening the Congress would always be remembered. Spoke to his son Faisal and expressed condolences. May Ahmed Bhai”s soul rest in peace,” Modi said in a tweet.
Union ministers Amit Shah, Prakash Javadekar, Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani were among the others who condoled the death of the Congress” key strategist.
Several top Congress leaders expressed grief, with Sonia Gandhi mourning the loss of an “irreplaceable comrade” and Rahul Gandhi saying Patel “lived and breathed Congress” and stood with the party through its most difficult times.
The Congress president said in her message that Patel, who served as her political advisor for years and was AICC treasurer, had dedicated his entire life to the Congress.
“I have lost an irreplaceable comrade, a faithful colleague and a friend. I mourn his passing and I feel deeply for his bereaved family to whom I offer my sincere feelings of empathy and support,” Sonia Gandhi said. “It is a sad day. Shri Ahmed Patel was a pillar of the Congress. He lived and breathed Congress and stood with the party through its most difficult times. He was a tremendous asset,” Rahul Gandhi said in his message.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described him as not only a wise and experienced colleague to whom she constantly turned for advice and counsel but also as a friend “who stood by us all, steadfast, loyal, and dependable to the end”.
The chief ministers of Congress-ruled States—Rajasthan”s Ashok Gehlot, Punjab”s Amarinder Singh, Chhattisgarh”s Bhupesh Baghel and Puducherry”s V Narayanasamy and a host of other party leaders paid tributes to the leader who always maintained a low profile.
BJP chief J P Nadda said, “Deeply anguished to hear about the demise of veteran Congress leader Shri Ahmed Patel Ji. I pray for strength to the family members and his supporters at this hour of grief. Om Shanti.”
While Home Minister Amit Shah said the news about the death of Ahmed Patel who made a significant contribution to the Congress party and public life is too sad, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Patel was a seasoned leader, who made remarkable contribution to his party and to public life. “Ahmed Bhai had friends across party lines. My thoughts are with his family and well-wishers in this sad hour,” Singh tweeted.
Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Delhi Yogi Adityanath Mamata Banerjee, Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal also mourned Patel”s demise and admired his virtues.