FINANCE FOR PATEL AS CRISIS ENDS
Nitin Patel joined CM Vijay Rupani’s cabinet and was given the finance portfolio after BJP chief Amit Shah reached out to him.
AHMEDABAD: After holding out for two days over not getting “appropriate” portfolios, Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Pa tel on Sunday assumed charge of office after a word with Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) president Amit Shah.
Nit in Pa tel was apparently placated after Shah assured him of a new portfolio fit for his “stature as number two in the cabinet and as the deputy chief minister”.
Within hours of this conversation with Shah, he was given the finance portfolio to go along with a few others he was allotted earlier. Botad MLA Saurabh Patel was initially allotted the finance and energy portfolios. There was no official word immediately on whether he would get another portfolio. Nitin Patel had not assumed charge despite being sworn in for a second successive stint as deputy chief minister, along with chief minister Vijay Rupani, who also got a second successive term, on December 26.
His stance had seemingly triggered unease in the Rupani government. The Congress and Pat id ar leaders had used this to target the BJP on Saturday. Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel had urged the deputy chief minister to break from the BJP with 10 MLAs and join the Congress.
Nitin Patel had handled key portfolios such as petrochemicals, urban development and finance in the previous Rupani government.
When the portfolio sin the new government were announced two days ago, he got departments such as roads and buildings, N armada, health and medical education, and capital project.
The chief minister kept the urban development ministry this time around. Before assuming charge, Nitin Patel told journalists in Gandhinagar, “I had communicated to the party earlier... that being a deputy chief minister, I should be given appropriate portfolios. I had even expressed... before party leaders that I should not be named as deputy chief minister if I don’t get proper portfolios .”