Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel gets finance, to take charge of portfolios today

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel in a press conference in Ahmedabad (Express photo Javed Raja)

Days after reports emerged that Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel was unhappy over being stripped of his key portfolios, sources told The Indian Express that he has been given charge of the Finance Ministry. Confirming that he will take the charge of the portfolios allotted to him, Patel said, “I will go to Secretariat and take charge of the ministries today. I have been assured that I will be given suitable departments, I also talked to Amit Shah ji over the phone. I thank him for the assurance,” reports news agency ANI.

The Deputy CM has been given the portfolios of Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Roads and Buildings, Narmada, Kalpasar and Patnagar Yojana. The finance portfolio was initially assigned to Saurabh Patel, while Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has kept the charge of urban development department to himself.

While Patel did not address the media, a local Gujarati channel on Saturday quoted him saying that he had conveyed his grievances to the party high command and that it would take the appropriate action. Nitin Patel’s name had been doing rounds as a replacement for Anandiben Patel as the Chief Minister. His name was hoaever, dropped by the party at the last minute and Vijay Rupani was made the CM. Nitin Patel is senior to Rupani in the government and enjoys a strong support from the Patidar community in Gujarat.

Patidar leaders had also expressed their displeasure after Nitin Patel lost finance and urban development. “The BJP is repeatedly doing injustice to Nitin-bhai Patel. Today I met him with supporters from Mehsana, and we have given a call for Mehsana bandh on January 1 in his support,” Lalji Patel, convener of the Sardar Patel Group (SPG) said.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel also suggested that Nitin Patel should quit the BJP with 10 MLAs and “join the Congress”. “As a veteran politician, Nitinbhai (Patel) worked hard for 27 years to ensure that (the BJP) stays in power. The community members need to understand that such politicians are being sidelined. I am not giving any suggestion, but asking him to ponder as to why he is not being given respect despite working so hard. I would request Nitinbhai to join us and together we will fight against the arrogant people (of the BJP)… If Nitinbhai makes up his mind and says he is ready to resign from the party and that 10 more MLAs are ready to tender their resignation, we are ready to fully support him,” he said.