New Delhi: Praising Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday (December 7) said her life has been dedicated to goals she had set for the people, and that she used her leadership for purpose and not position.

Ahmedabad Mirror reports that the Gujarati edition of a book titled, Chunautiya Mujhe Pasand Hai, on the life of Anandiben Patel, who had served as Gujarat chief minister after Narendra Modi demitted office to assume charge as prime minister in 2014, was released on Sunday. Chief minister Bhupendra Patel was also present on the occasion.

Anandiben Patel and Shah were colleagues in the Modi ministry in Gujarat and she spoke of the time when they were together.

Shah and the chief minister, Bhupendra Patel left the venue after speaking and the Uttar Pradesh governor spoke after they had gone.

Also read: Prohibition in Gujarat? War of Words Over Jignesh Mevani Calling it a Business

As per The Indian Express, Patel said, “The home minister just left for another event. We all know him… by the name of Chanakya. And he is indeed Chanakya. [He knows] whom to promote and [whom not to]…”

“He [Shah] would tell even Narendrabhai…this is what should be done. Because we used to sit together in the cabinet. These things suit him, not me. I have the soul of a teacher… I cannot indulge in anything else but teaching. All that is for him [Shah],” she is reported to have said.

Anandiben Patel spoke of the need for Gujarat to retain its policy of prohibition of liqour, not allowing the sale and consumption of liquor in the state. She compared the state of ‘dry’ Gujarat with Uttar Pradesh’s, “…I have heard that you are talking about opening (relaxing) the darubandi (prohibition) in Gujarat. I have read it in newspapers. I do not know if it is true or not. In our Gujarat, women can play garba till four in the night and it is because of the darubandi (liquor prohibition). Whereas, in Uttar Pradesh, at some places, such is the situation that women cannot move out even today. We should think a lot before doing everything. What consequences will it bring…”

Last week, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has sharply criticised the Gujarat government, claiming that the state – despite its prohibition policy – has become a hub for narcotics and illicit liquor. ̌ The issue gained attention recently after the Congress party’s Vadgam legislator, Jignesh Mevani, said that police officials could lose their jobs after liquor and drugs were reportedly found near a school in Tharad. Mevani insinuated that Gujarat home minister Harsh Sanghavi, who is also the deputy chief minister, was backing the police, even though liquor is banned in Gujarat, with few exceptions. Mevani’s comments sparked protests by families of police personnel in Vadgam and Tharad, underscoring the growing strain between the police, political leaders, and the underground liquor trade that continues despite Gujarat’s official prohibition policy.

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