Vijaybhai never looked at the post… always at the responsibility: Nadda pays tribute to former Gujarat CM

Apart from Nadda, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, state party president and Union Minister C R Paatil, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and national general secretary of BJP V Satish among others were also present during the prayer meeting. Rupani’s wife Anjaliben, daughter Radhika and son Rushabh along with other family members and friends also took part in the meeting.

Rupani was one of the passengers onboard the ill-fated Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad within moments of taking off on June 12.

“One special thing about Vijaybhai was that he never looked at the post, he always looked at the responsibility. Whatever responsibilities he got, he performed them very well,” said Nadda while sharing Rupani’s qualities.

Nadda said that Rupani always “kept the worker in him alive”. He told the party workers that the true homage to Rupani would be to keep the party worker in oneself alive.

Paying tributes to Rupani, V Satish said, “…he was outspoken. He would not be reluctant to express his opinion. But there is a principle of organisation, all of us have heard. (But) its implementation is tough. The principle is that ‘Mat anek ho sakte hain, nirnay ek ho (There could be different opinions, but only one decision).’ And I have seen it, experienced it with close quarters with Vijaybhai as he used to follow this principle. As I said, he used to put his opinion outspokenly, but then whatever is the decision of the organisation; whether it is to make him a Chief Minister or that of giving up the post of Chief Minister. He never thought for one minute (and honoured the party’s decision).”

Satish also said that Rupani always kept the party worker within him alive and worked honestly while following the party’s decision.

Union Minister C R Paatil said that when he heard about the plane crash, he was with CM Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He said that (at that time) somebody said that “perhaps” Vijaybhai was on that flight.

“At that time, (I hoped) that the words (would) prove wrong and (prayed that) somebody (would) say it with confidence that he (Vijaybhai) is not there (on the flight),” Paatil said.

He added that Gujarat has sustained a void which cannot be filled by the death of Rupani.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said, “If Vijaybhai’s personality and his deeds have to be summed up in one sentence then it can be said that Vijaybhai is a representative of the organisation, the society and the government.”