After Amit Shah's intervention, Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel gets Finance portfolio

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel has been given charge of Finance portfolio amid reports that he was unhappy with the portfolios that were earlier allocated to him.

The decision comes after BJP President Amit Shah had assured him that the key portfolios taken away from him will be given back to him.

Earlier in the day, Patel joined Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's cabinet and take charge of office after Shah told him that he will be given a portfolio fitting his "stature" as Number Two in the government.

"BJP President Amit Shah today called up early morning and assured me that I will be given a portfolio which is fit for my stature as number two in the Cabinet and as the deputy chief minister," Patel said.

"Shah asked me to take charge of my departments, so I will take the charge today. Chief minister Vijay Rupani will meet state Governor O P Kohli in afternoon and give a letter allocating a new department to me," Patel added.

Patel, who handled important departments such as finance and urban development in the previous government, was allotted road and building, health, medical education, Narmada, Kalpsar and capital projects this time.

The finance portfolio has been allotted to Saurabh Patel, while chief minister Rupani has kept the urban development department with himself.

Patel had claimed that the issue was not about some departments, but about "self-respect". "I had conveyed to party high command to either give me respectable departments or relieve me from Cabinet," he said.

Patel said he had been serving the party like a "loyal and disciplined" soldier.

While announcing the portfolios two days back, Rupani had said, "It is not true that the minister, who has the finance portfolio, is the number two in the cabinet. Nitin Patel is our senior leader and will remain the number two."