Our Bureau
Ahmedabad
The tragic crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12th saw 241 people lose their lives when that airplane hit the building just 32 seconds after taking flight from Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport. Out of the 241 people, there was former Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani who was going to the United Kingdom to meet his family but couldn’t make it.
The thing that stings more is that travelling through this flight wasn’t Mr. Rupani’s first option. The former Chief Minister was first going to travel on May 19 for which he had booked his ticket and he was supposed to be back by June 25. But his plans changed and then Mr. Rupani decided to travel on June 5th cancelling his previous ticket. Once again, he had to reschedule his flight as there were some changes in his plans. He then booked the seat number 2D on flight AI 171 for June 12, a trip that sadly caused him to lose his life in a fatal crash.
The more ironic part was that reports suggested that the number ‘1206’ was a number that was considered by Mr. Rupani as a sign of good fortune. The former Chief Minister used it on his car, scooter and official number plate of his vehicle as Chief Minister. And the date that the former CM died on was 12/06. Mr. Rupani’s family and friends stated that he considered it as a personal emblem.
Vijay Rupani was born in Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma, in 1956 but moved to Rajkot in 1960 after the political instability in Southeast Asia. He started his career in politics in the year 1987 in Rajkot. He served as the Minister for transport, water supply, and labour during his time in the political setup.
Mr. Rupani was also a member of the Rajya Sabha and served there from 2006 to 2012. In 2014, he was appointed as a minister in the Gujarat government, a position he held till 2016. In 2016, Rupani was appointed the Chief Minister of the state, and he held the office till 2021.
