Gandhinagar:

Amid speculations of his being ‘aggrieved’ at the said ‘clipping of wings’, Deputy CM Nitin Patel today did not take charge of his office on a day when most of the ministers of Vijay Rupani government in Gujarat who took oath with the CM on December 26 assumed their offices formally.

Unconfirmed reports also said that Patel whose Finance, Urban Development and housing and Petrochemicals departments were taken away from him during the portfolio allocation last night, was also not using the government vehicle and escort given to him. He was using his personal vehicle instead.

Patel also remained mysteriously silent during the joint press conference with CM Rupani after the first cabinet meeting of the BJP government last night. The meeting started after a delay of 4 hours at 9 pm in the night owing to said bickering over the portfolio distribution.

Patel did not return the calls on his number today.

Though the number two position of Patel one of the senior-most leader BJP with vast experience as minister, has been maintained theoretically by keeping his DyCM post intact this time around but he has only been given Road and building, health and family welfare, medical education, Narmada, Kalpsar and capital Project departments instead of last times’ Finance, Urban Development and Urban Housing, Road and Building, Capital Project, Narmada, Kalpasar, Petrochemicals.

DeshGujarat