Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday condoled the demise of senior party leader Ahmed Patel, who passed away in the early hours of the day due to Covid-19 complications at the age of 71.
“It is a sad day. Shri Ahmed Patel was a pillar of the Congress party. He lived and breathed Congress and stood with the party through its most difficult times. He was a tremendous asset. We will miss him. My love and condolences to Faisal, Mumtaz & the family,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, meanwhile, tweeted: “Ahmed ji was not only a wise and experienced colleague to whom I constantly turned for advice and counsel, he was a friend who stood by us all, steadfast, loyal, and dependable to the end. His passing away leaves an immense void. May his soul rest in peace.”
Patel, a current Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat who in his eighth term as a parliamentarian, had on October 1 tweeted to announce he had tested positive for Covid-19. Considered a key aide of interim party president Sonia Gandhi, he was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital on November 15 for further treatment.
Patel’s son Faisal announced the news of his father’s death on Twitter. “With profound grief and sorrow, I regret to announce the sad and untimely demise of my father, Mr. Ahmed Patel at 25/11/2020 at 3:30am. After testing positive for Covid-19 around a month back, his health worsened further due to multiple organ failures. I request all well-wishers to adhere to Covid-19 law and order regulations by avoiding any mass gatherings and to also maintain social distancing norms at all times,” Faisal Patel tweeted
Another senior Congress leader, former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, had passed away on Monday. In August, Gogoi, too, had tested positive for Covid-19. He was rushed to hospital earlier this month after complaining of breathlessness and breathed his last there.
