T’puram: Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who died on Wednesday, was a seasoned interlocutor who negotiated the group war between K Karunakaran and AK Antony in 90s and early 2000s. Patel was the trouble shooter whenever group war intensified within the Congress.
He was instrumental in the change of guard in state Congress when Antony was made chief minister replacing Karunakaran in 1995. He played a crucial role in the change of guard from AK Antony to Oommen Chandy in 2004. He was too close to UDF constituents such as Kerala Congress and IUML always used to have direct dialogues with him during a crisis.
Patel was in charge of party affairs in Kerala when Karunakaran decided to form a party after quitting Congress. ‘Aluminium Patel’, the title given by K Muraleedharan became famous during the split in 2011. “He was well aware of the politics here and had good contacts with social organizations. He was instrumental in keeping UDF together whenever there was difference in opinion,” said Chandy.
When Antony quit as chief minister in 2004, AICC sent Patel to state with Pranab Mukherjee to find a replacement. During the then crisis, it was Patel who came to settle issues, Chandy recalled.
He always tried to work for the party and never bargained for power or positions. He stayed away from limelight. When party faced crises in Delhi, senior leaders depended on him to sort them out. That was his ability and he was politically shrewd, said opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala. Right from the time of Indira Gandhi, he was a key figure in the party. He enjoyed close rapport with UDF leaders and his demise is a huge loss, said KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran.