Ahmed Patel, seen and heard like never before
At Jantar Mantar last month. Patel has also been very busy on Twitter, apart from writing letters and making speeches. (Source: File Photo)
His had long been a quiet presence, barely visible, though he was always influential in the Congress as Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary and before that. Of late, though, Ahmed Patel has become both visible and audible. In a party struggling to keep itself relevant, insiders link Patel’s transformation to an impending leadership change.
Patel has been Sonia’s right hand, a position he earned after having been a trustworthy treasurer under Sitaram Kesri, Sonia’s predecessor. It is uncertain if he will wield the same kind of influence once Rahul Gandhi takes the reins, which is why Patel’s sudden visibility has set off so much talk.
Some say Patel does not want Sonia to give all the responsibility to her son, which could dislodge him from the power centre. Others say he only wants to reassert himself ahead of the new setup. Whatever his objective, Patel, 65, has never tried so hard to be seen and heard before.
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The Indian Express tried to get in touch with Patel, who was yet to respond or get back until the time this edition went to print.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann ki Baat with farmers was aired on March 22, Patel’s tweet was the first reaction from the Congress. His sharp questions formed the major portion of the Congress’s reaction to Modi’s radio address. Patel has been regularly tweeting — 201 times until Sunday evening — since he created an account last October.
Patel is also said to have taken the initiative in getting Congress leaders together for a march to former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s home to express solidarity with him after a CBI court summoned Singh in connection with the allocation of a coal block.
Earlier this month, when Youth Congress activists marched against the land bill, Patel addressed the crowd and attacked the government. Last month, he was at Jantar Mantar for the same cause. Also in February, while unveiling Maha Gujarat movement leader Indulal Yagnik’s statue in Sabarmati, Patel was vocal against Modi: “Theatrics such as selling suits will not clean the Ganga. Induchacha did not have a 56-inch chest like many who claim to be leaders, but he had a strong mind.”
Patel has also written to Gujarat Chief Minister Anandi Patel asking her to look into alleged “improper utilisation” of central subsidies by Gujarat State Fertiliser and Chemicals Pvt Ltd.
On Twitter, Patel was among the first to wish Mulayam Singh Yadav health when the latter was admitted to hospital. His wide range of tweets include support for Indian cricketers and congratulations to Saina Nehwal.
Always influential
Patel had once said no to Rajiv Gandhi’s offer to join the government, preferring to work in the organisation. He took charge of the Youth Congress and built a nationwide network for himself. He is said to have had access to every piece of information within the party, even at state and district levels. This network helped him become the powerful backroom strategist that he is under Sonia.
Those in the old guard talk of his clout. “He has always picked those loyal to him for all key posts. Being close to Ahmed Patel is the key to rising in the Congress. Not many can afford not to be loyal to him,” says a Congress leader from Gujarat who does not enjoy Patel’s confidence.
But many in the Congress say the clout seems to have started waning already. The new leaders emerging in the states and lower down are not all “his people”, some of them products of Rahul’s experiments at introducing democratic processes at the grassroots.
Sources cite the example of Gujarat, where his influence has been particularly strong. He had headed the PCC for two years but many say he remained the invisible chief for 26 more years, with no appointment or decision possible without his approval. His critics blame him, in fact, for destroying the Congress in Gujarat. He was sent there as PCC chief in 1986, a year after the party had replaced chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki with Amarsinh Chaudhary. “The Congress could never repeat Solanki’s performance (149 of 182 seats). Its electoral performance since then was inversely proportional to Patel’s political career,” said the Gujarat Congressman.
Now Bharatsinh Solanki, Madhavsinh’s son, is Gujarat PCC president and party sources see it as an indication of Rahul’s preferences. Sources say Bharatsinh insisted on a free hand before accepting the post.
A devout Muslim, Patel has maintained the image of a secular leader, those close to him say. Patel, who has a son and a daughter, has kept his family and personal life away from politics.
“He may not have been visible in the media, but he has good friends in almost all media houses. Like Arun Jaitley in the BJP, he has friends everywhere — in the judiciary, the industry, corporate houses, the media and the arts. His clout came of use to the party whenever it was in trouble,” said a Congress leader.
Source:: Indian Express