The late Congress veteran Ahmed Patel’s son Faisal Patel on Tuesday stirred a controversy by taking to Twitter to express his ‘disappointment’ with the Congress and indicate he is keeping political options open as he didn’t get any response from the party’s top leadership.
“Tired of waiting around. No encouragement from the top brass. Keeping my options open,” he tweeted. His father served as the political secretary of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The tweet, coming ahead of Assembly polls in Gujarat later this year, adds to the party’s problems in the State where it has seen desertions and defections.
With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) looking to expand its base in Gujarat to emerge as an alternative to the Congress, the tweet triggered a speculation that Patel’s son could be headed to the AAP.
Anil K. Antony’s tweet
However, Mr. Faisal, later retweeted a tweet from Anil K. Antony, son of party veteran A. K. Antony, that suggested he would continue to strengthen the Congress.
“Good to meet @mfaisalpatel today while he was calling on my household. A forever part of our family, with a storied @INCIndia legacy, he’s surely going to remain so, and work on rebuilding Congress, and on the betterment of Gujarat and India,” tweeted Mr. Antony’s son
Mr. Faisal at the moment doesn’t hold any official position. His Twitter bio reads, “Using Artificial Intelligence to uplift society. Empathy a must. Harvard Business & Doon School Alumni. Proud Indian & Global Citizen.”
Ahmed Patel, who died of COVID-19 related complications in November, 2020, represented Gujarat for eight terms in Parliament -- three in the Lok Sabha and five in the Rajya Sabha.
