Ahmed Patel gets a great gift
Congress veteran Ahmed Patel, on his 69th birth day on Wednesday, received the best gift possible. Party president Rahul Gandhi, like his mother Sonia Gandhi, bestowed his trust upon him by making him the Congress treasurer. Gandhi had earlier named Patel as a member of the reconstituted Congress Working Committee. What added more joy for Patel was that this coveted post came to him on the eve of Eid-ul-Adha. The cashstrapped Congress has once again reposed total faith in its time-tested lieutenant. Patel is back as the party treasurer to tide over the funding crunch ahead of the 2019 general elections. Low-profile Patel’s return as treasurer has come after 18 years. Rahul Gandhi is the third Congress chief under whom Patel will serve as AICC treasurer.
Patel had earlier served as the party treasurer from 1996 to 2000 under two Congress chiefs, Sitaram Kesri and Sonia Gandhi. She retained him as treasurer after assuming charge as Congress president in 1998. She soon realised Patel’s political skills and appointed him as her political secretary in 2001. Patel was Sonia’s political secretary also for long and was a key player during the UPA’s rule during 20042014.
“He is a tested skilful treasurer,” said a senior party leader. In May, Congress’ official Twitter handle posted a link of its crowd funding campaign, seeking public donations to “help the party restore democracy”. Now the party must prepare for the pollgoing states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, and the Lok Sabha elections in April 2019, in which the Opposition party plans to take on the ruling BJP, now India’s richest party.