Gujarat minister to visit Bihar to invite Nitish for Statue of

Gujarat minister Saurabh Patel Tuesday said he will visit Bihar after October 22 to invite Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for an event where a mega statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel will be unveiled.

His statement came amid media reports that Kumar had declined to meet Saurabh Patel, who was scheduled to visit Bihar on October 16, in the backdrop of recent attacks in Gujarat on migrant factory workers from Hindi-speaking states.

Saurabh Patel is currently leading a state delegation to Karnataka to invite Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Governor Vajubhai Vala for the October 31 event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to unveil the 182-metre tall statue of Sardar Patel at Kevadiya in Narmada district.

The structure, 'Statue of Unity', will be unveiled on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of the first Deputy Prime Minister of the country.

"Saurabh Patel will visit Bihar with a delegation after October 22 to invite Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the unveiling function of Statue of Unity," said a statement from his office.

Rejecting reports that Kumar did not grant him time to meet the delegation, Patel, in the statement, said he has delayed his visit to Bihar due to the ongoing "Durga Puja in the state which is celebrated as an important festival with holidays there".

"In such a situation, it is better for the delegation to visit the state after October 22," said the statement from the office of Saurabh Patel, who holds the energy portfolio.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, his deputy Nitin Patel as well as several ministers are visiting different states to extend invitation to chief ministers and governors for the October 31 event.

However, a spokesperson of Kumar's party JD (U) has said he had no knowledge of Saurabh Patel's visit to Bihar on October 16 getting cancelled due to the migrant issue.

"I have no such information (that Patel's visit was cancelled)," said Bashishtha Narayan Singh, spokesperson of the Bihar unit of the JD (U).

The BJP is ruling Gujarat, while the saffron party is the junior partner in the JD (U)-led government in Bihar.

Attacks on Hindi-speaking migrant workers, including those from Bihar, following a rape incident had triggered their exodus from Gujarat early this month.