BJP leaders condole Patel's death, laud his contribution to public life

BJP leaders on Wednesday condoled the death of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, a powerful presence in national politics for a long time, with party president J P Nadda expressing his anguish and many of his colleagues lauding Patel's contribution to the public life.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Patel contributed a lot to the public life and the Congress, describing the news of the leader's death as extremely painful.

In a tweet, Nadda said, "Deeply anguished to hear about the demise of veteran Congress leader Shri Ahmed Patel Ji. I pray for strength to the family members and his supporters at this hour of grief. Om Shanti."

Senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh noted that Patel was a seasoned leader who made remarkable contribution to his party and public life.

"Ahmed Bhai had friends across party lines. My thoughts are with his family and well-wishers in this sad hour," he said.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar also expressed his sadness at Patel's demise.

Ahmed Patel (71) died in a Gurgaon hospital on Wednesday due to multi-organ failure. He was suffering from complications related to COVID-19.

Patel, who was critical for a few days, was admitted to the Medanta hospital on November 15 after he developed complications.

His son Faisal said he died at 3.30 am.