Gujarat CM Rupani demands Ahmed Patel's resignation for "recruiting" terrorist
Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly Elections, CM Vijay Rupani has leveled a sensational charge against Sonia Gandhi's aide and Congress leader Ahmed Patel. Rupani demanded Patel's resignation from his RS membership after it emerged that one of the two alleged ISIS sympathizers arrested by the state ATS was employed at the hospital where Patel was a trustee.
Gujarat ATS arrested suspected ISIS operatives
Gujarat ATS had earlier arrested Ubaid Mirza, a Surat-based lawyer and hotelier, and Kasim Stimberwala, an echocardiogram lab technician at Ankleshwar's Sardar Patel Hospital and Heart Institute, for allegedly plotting an ISIS inspired terror attack on Ahmedabad's synagogue and Hindu temples. They were influenced by Abdullah el-Faisal, a Jamaica-based radical preacher, and planned to flee to Jamaica after carrying out the attack.
How did Rupani connect Patel to the alleged operative?
Rupani said, "Ahmed Patel is running the show at the Sardar Patel hospital where Kasim was employed." Patel was a trustee of the hospital till 2014. Further, in 2016, President Pranab Mukherjee was invited to inaugurate the renovated premises at Patel's behest. Jayesh Patel, a trustee of the hospital denied Patel's association with the hospital. Moreover, hospital didn't have knowledge of Kasim's personal activities.
How did the Congress react?
Patel called the allegations "baseless." He said "strict and speedy action" should be taken against terrorists. Further, he said "matters of national security should not be politicized keeping the elections in mind. Let's not divide peace loving Gujaratis while fighting terrorism." Congress's spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged this was BJP's way of hiding their failures ahead of the elections.
What does this mean for Gujarat politics?
Patel, Sonia's chief strategist, exercises immense clout within the party; however, he lacks a mass base. But, considering his experience, he could be Congress's best bet for CM as the party leadership in the state is fractured. Considering this, BJP may have upped its ante as it gets jittery over its 22 years of anti-incumbency, which Congress has been somewhat successful in harping on.
