Senior BJP minister dead

Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, BJP leaders, a number of ministers and others rushed to the hospital after hearing the news. Korat had suffered brain haemorrage when he had gone to visit his ailing mother who had a heart attack and was admitted in the hospital. He was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit. Experts from Nanavati Hospital, who flew in here the same night, had performed anoperation on the Minister and kept him under “constant observation”.

The Minister’s condition was stated to have improved after the operation but subsequently deteriorated, especially since this morning. He was kept on artificial respiration but his life could not not be saved. Governor Anshuman Singh, Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, leader of the Opposition Amarsinh Chaudhary, ministers, leaders of various political parties, MPs, MLAs and others have condoled his death.

Savji Korat was a popular politician and a low-profile farmer who was well-known for his simplicity and honesty. Born on August 6, 1953 in Jetpur Taluka of Rajkot District, Korat graduated in law. He had represented the Jetpur Assembly Constituency since 1990, when he was first elected to the Vidhan Sabha. Korat had also served as a member of the Jetpur Taluka Panchayat and President of the Rajkot district branch of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and Jetpur Taluka BJP unit.

From March 1993 to September 1996, he was the DeputyMinister for Roads and Building in the first BJP Ministry headed by Keshubhai Patel and held the same portfolio as a Cabinet Minister again. He had toured Israel, USA and several other places. Recently, he visited USA for negotiations with the World Bank and succeeded in getting a loan of Rs 2000 crore for road construction in Gujarat.