Gujarat's 'miffed' Dy CM Nitin Patel to take charge of ministries today

AHMEDABAD: Days after reports of his displeasure to the party leadership over the departments allotted to him, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said that he will be visiting the Secretariat and taking charge of the ministries on Sunday.

"I will go to Secretariat and take charge of the ministries today," Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel said.

Thanking party president Amit Shah, Patel added that he has been assured by him, with whom he spoke over the phone, about giving suitable departments to him.

"I have been assured that I will be given suitable departments, I also talked to Amit Shah ji over the phone. I thank him for the assurance," Patel said.

On Saturday, a source in the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) had said that the deputy chief minister had conveyed his miff over the portfolios allotted to him in the new BJP government.

In the previous government, Nitin Patel used to handle important portfolios like finance and urban development. In the current Cabinet though, he has been allotted charge of departments like road and building and health.

Apart from these two, he has also given the charge of medical education, Narmada, Kalpsar and capital project after the portfolios were allotted on December 28.

The finance portfolio has been allotted to Saurabh Patel, while Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has kept the charge of urban development department with himself.

Rupani, however, had downplayed reports of his displeasure. "It is not true that the minister who has finance portfolio is number two in the cabinet. Nitin Patel is our senior leader and will remain number two," Rupani had said.