Omar, Farooq Abdullah condole Ahmed Patel's death; speak of long political & personal ties

Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah and his father Farooq Abdullah condoled the sudden demise of senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel who lost his battle to COVID-19 on Wednesday. 

Taking to Twitter, Omar Abdullah expressed grief at the veteran's leaders passing away and said that 'Ahmed Bhai' shared both political and personal relations with his family. He also offered condolences to Faisal Patel, who informed about his father's demise in a Twitter post. Omar prayed that God may provide strength to Ahmed's family to bear the loss. 

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Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who was undergoing treatment at a Gurugram hospital after contracting COVID-19, breathed his last after suffering multi-organ failure on Wednesday. He was 71. Patel, also the Treasurer of the Indian National Congress, had tested positive for COVID-19 on October 1 and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on November 15. 

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Congress pays tribute to Ahmed Patel

Condoling his demise, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that Ahmed Patel "was a pillar of the Congress party and it is a sad day." Taking to Twitter, he said Patel "lived and breathed Congress and stood with the party through its most difficult times" and called him "a tremendous asset."

In her condolence message, interim party Chief Sonia Gandhi said, "In Ahmed Patel, I have lost a colleague, whose entire life was dedicated to the Congress Party. His faithfulness and dedication, his commitment to his duty, his always being there to help, his generosity were rare qualities that distinguished him from others. I have lost an irreplaceable comrade, a faithful colleague, and a friend. I mourn his passing and I feel deeply for his bereaved family to whom I offer my sincere feelings of empathy and support.”

Priyanka Vadra Gandhi expressed her condolences and said that the passing away of the veteran leader "leaves an immense void."  

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