Ahmed Patel was laid to rest at his native village in Gujarat’s Bharuch district on Thursday. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi attended the funeral after landing at Surat Airport on Thursday morning.Ahmed Patel, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP from Piraman village in Ankleshwar taluka of Bharuch district, has passed away at the age of 71. As per his wish, he was buried next to his parents’ grave in Piramana village. Maulana Maulana Rahman of Piraman village told The Daily Guardian, “He is no longer with us today. Still cannot believe. He took society along and walked together. He used to call them Ahmedbhai, whether they were young or old and belonged to any party. The entire Ankleshwar taluka is in mourning.”Patel’s mortal remains reached Piraman from Vadodara and he was laid to rest at a Muslim cemetery on Thursday. The mortal remains reached Vadodara airport Wednesday night and were kept at the Sardar Patel Hospital at Ankleshwar town of Bharuch district.Ahmed Patel, a close confidant of Sonia Gandhi and her political adviser, was suffering from Covid-19 infection. He died of multiple organ failure at 3.30 am on Wednesday. He was admitted to the ICU at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on Sunday, where he breathed his last.Patel came from a political family, though he kept his children away. He started his political career in 1976 from Bharuch, Gujarat, trying his luck in the local arena and quickly became close to Indira Gandhi. Later, he remained close to Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi.Ahmed Patel was born in 1949 in the house of Mohammad Ishaqji Patel and Hawaben Mohammad Bhai. His father was a member of Bharuch taluka panchayat and was a renowned leader in the area. Patel’s father helped him a lot in building a political career. In 1976, Ahmed Patel married Memuna Ahmed. They had two children, a son and a daughter. However, both have stayed away from politics. Son Faisal Patel has a business, while daughter Mumtaz Patel is married to Irfan Siddiqui, a lawyer.
