Gandhinagar: Rejecting the reports of his anger over the exclusion of his name from the invitation card for inauguration of a Hospital by PM Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad today, Deputy CM Nitin Patel said that such reports were ‘made-up’ and he and all other ministers of the government and other senior party leaders worked as a team.

He also said that his absence from the Ahmedabad airport on the arrival of PM Modi today was part of planning of the state government.

To a query he also said that his photos were not on the hoardings of Vibrant Gujarat Summit due to legal reasons. ‘As per the Supreme Court order photos of only two people could be on such hoardings and obviously it would of the PM and the CM. My photo was not there because it was not possible to put a third picture,’ he added.

He said that it was pre-decided that he and other ministers would welcome the PM at the Global Trade Show venue here while CM Vijay Rupani, Governor O P Kohli and state BJP president Jeetu Vaghani would remain present at the Airport. It was all done according to the set protocol.

‘So far as the absence of the name on the invitation card for inauguration of new VS hospital complex was concerned I understand that it was part of procedural things and there was nothing wrong in it. The new hospital in Ahmedabad has been set up by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation with the help of state government grant and it is the AMC which was to take care of the administration of the hospital. It was their prerogative to take a call about whose name to put on the card,’ he said.

He also rejected the reports about any difference with CM Rupani. ‘We all work as a team and the CM also takes care that my honour was maintained. We all work as a team,’ he said.

‘I have been in politics for so long and seen so much of rise and fall that absence of photo or name in a card hardly matters for me. All I want to do is to deliver with all earnest whatever responsibility the BJP has given me,’ he said.

Patel remained present during the inauguration event with CM and PM to deliver the welcome speech.

DeshGujarat