The body was wrapped in Tiranga & given a guard of honour by Gujarat Police at Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. It was then escorted to Ahmedabad airport by BJP workers.
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel personally visited the Gandhinagar residence of former CM Rupani to meet his family. Rupani was among 241 victims on the London-bound flight.
Balwantrai Mehta remains the 1st & only Indian politician to have been killed in wartime action in the subcontinent. Incident unfolded during a particularly volatile phase of 1965 war.
On his ties with Gujarat ex-CM, Modi says the two worked shoulder to shoulder, including during some of the most challenging times. Rupani, 68, died in Air India AI-171 crash.
In 1965, Balwantrai Mehta's jet was shot down during India-Pakistan war. Other politicians to perish in air crashes include Madhavrao Scindia, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy & Dorjee Khandu.
The BJP had ousted Viay Rupani and his then cabinet colleagues in 2021 to promote new talent. The same principle seems to be at play again for election candidates.
BJP appoints new incharges, co-incharges for multiple states in an exercise that, insiders say, was 'long pending'. The list, approved by party president Nadda, was released Friday.
Implementation took some time as the BJP wanted to avoid protests and ensure a smooth transition, especially given that Gujarat is headed for assembly elections next year.
Israel sees Iran as an existential threat. But the US, Turkey & Gulf states fear refugee flows or attacks on oil sites. These countries need a stable end-state for the whole region over more strikes.
As per the timeline decided, 5 prototypes of India’s own fifth-generation fighter are set to be rolled out by 2031, with the first by 2028 using the GE 414 engine.
The key to fighting a war successfully, or even launching it, is a clear objective. That’s an entirely political call. It isn’t emotional or purely military.
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