The tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad has claimed the life of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, sending shockwaves through the political circles of India. Rupani, who began his political journey as a corporator in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation in 1987, steadily rose through the ranks, serving as Mayor, Rajya Sabha MP, Gujarat BJP President, and Cabinet Minister before becoming Chief Minister in 2016. Throughout this ascent, he remained a trusted colleague of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known for his quiet diligence and commitment to the party’s ideology.

In the quiet stillness of grief, a series of photographs now speak louder than words. Images from the X handle of “Modi Archives” capture the enduring friendship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the late Vijay Rupani — moments that now feel like fragments of a shared journey frozen in time. A glance at the photographs from the Modi Archives tells a story no speech could capture. They trace a bond that went beyond politics. Two men who once stood shoulder to shoulder, not only in the glare of public life, but in the quiet, defining moments of Gujarat’s political journey. There is a frame from the late 1990s in Rajkot, where a younger Narendra Modi, not yet the national leader he would become, stands beside Vijay Rupani at a party event. Their expressions are earnest, the setting humble, yet the shared purpose is unmistakable. Another photograph captures the warmth of trust as PM Modi, during Rupani’s swearing-in as Chief Minister in 2016, rests a hand on his shoulder.

The gesture, though simple, radiates deep familiarity — born of decades of shared ideology, struggle, and discipline within the BJP’s ranks. One poignant image shows the two walking together at a Vibrant Gujarat Summit. Modi, then Prime Minister, walks slightly ahead, but it’s Rupani who matches pace without hesitation. It’s a subtle symbol of leadership passed forward, not just endorsed but nurtured. One such image shows PM Modi, then Gujarat’s Chief Minister, standing beside Rupani at a BJP event in Rajkot. Both men are smiling — not for the cameras, but in the quiet confidence of shared purpose. Another frame, taken during Rupani’s swearing-in ceremony in 2016, shows PM Modi placing a hand on his shoulder, a gesture that conveyed trust, mentorship, and a bond forged in the crucible of Gujarat’s political evolution.

There is a photograph from the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, where Rupani, as Chief Minister, walks alongside PM Modi, flanked by global dignitaries. The image reflects not just protocol, but a partnership — one that helped shape Gujarat’s economic narrative. In another, more candid moment, the two are seen in conversation at the Sabarmati Ashram, their expressions thoughtful, as if reflecting on the ideals that brought them into public life. These are not the rehearsed photos of political ritual, but living documents of a friendship forged long before the national spotlight arrived. In one of the most endearing images from their long political journey, Vijay Rupani is seen gently offering sweets to Prime Minister Narendra Modi — a moment that captures not just celebration, but deep personal warmth. The occasion, likely following an electoral victory or a significant party milestone, shows PM Modi smiling with the ease of someone among trusted companions. Rupani’s gesture is affectionate, almost familial, and PM Modi’s expression reflects a bond that transcends protocol. Another photograph on the Modi Archives, more formal yet equally telling, shows the two leaders sharing a dais at a press conference. PM Modi, then the towering national figure, and Rupani, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, sit side by side — aligned in message and mission.

The backdrop bears the party’s insignia, but the real story lies in their body language: attentive, composed, and in sync. Rupani listens as PM Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, addresses the media, his posture deferential yet assured. It’s a portrait of political partnership — one forged in Gujarat’s transformation and carried forward into national relevance. When PM Modi visited Rupani’s family following the Air India crash, the grief on his face was not political — it was personal. “We worked together during some of the most challenging times,” he wrote, and the archive’s images bear witness to that truth. Their story was not one of headline moments alone — it was built in grassroots campaigns, in ‘non-glamorous’ organisational roles, in the resolve to elevate Gujarat and, later, to serve the nation. These images now carry the weight of memory. When Prime Minister Modi visited Rupani’s family after the Air India crash, his words on X echoed the emotion etched in those photographs: “We worked together, shoulder to shoulder, including during some of the most challenging times.” It was not just a political alliance – it was kinship.

–IANS

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The post The Unspoken Bond Between PM Modi And Vijay Rupani appeared first on The Commune.

In a major development, Gujarat Congress leaders on Tuesday unconditionally apologised to former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani for levelling baseless charges against the latter and admitted on record that their accusations were politically motivated and lacked any evidence. Vijay Rupani’s counsel, Ansh Bhardwaj, confirmed the unconditional apology issued by the Congress leaders in writing in a video message.

He further said that the former Gujarat CM has accepted their apology and has sought court’s permission to withdraw the defamation lawsuit that he filed against them. Two years ago, Vijay Rupani had slapped a legal notice to Congress leaders including Sukhram Rathwa and his associates for claiming that the former chief minister was part of a land scam worth Rs 500 crore. The Congress leaders in a press conference had claimed that the then BJP government under Vijay Rupani changed the zoning of land belonging to the Rajkot Urban Development Authority (RUDA) from residential to industrial for benefitting a corporate group.

Rupani’s legal counsel Ansh Bhardwarj informed that the Congress leaders led by the then Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathwa have admitted on record that there was no evidence behind their wild charges and it was mere political accusation to show the then BJP government in bad light.

“Vijay Rupani had objected to their unwarranted charges in 2022 and demanded that they retract their allegations and file an apology. When they refused to oblige, a criminal defamation case was filed in Gandhinagar court by Vijay Rupani. Eyewitnesses recorded their statements and the trial continued. Now, all four Congress leaders have submitted an unconditional apology to Vijay Rupani for making unfounded claims,” said Ansh Bhardwaj. He further mentioned that Vijay Rupani has sought court’s nod for withdrawing the defamation suit against the Congress leaders.

–IANS

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The post Cong Leaders Unconditionally Apologise To Ex-Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani Over False Allegations appeared first on The Commune.

Ramachandra Guha known for his books on Gandhi found himself in the midst of an unwarranted controversy that he brought upon himself. On June 11, Guha tweeted “Gujarat, though economically advanced, is culturally a backward province…. Bengal in contrast is economically backward but culturally advanced” quoting British writer and Communist activist Philip Spratt.

Philip Spratt, a friend of colleague of M.N.Roy was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India. Later he renounced Communism and turned out to be a stern critic of Nehru and his policies, held dear by Ramachandra Guha.

The above lines quoted by Guha appears in the 1939 book “Gandhism: An Analysis” by Philip Sratt. Gujarat was then a part of the Bombay Presidency.

https://twitter.com/LiberalRightlst/status/1270951710031097858

https://twitter.com/LiberalRightlst/status/1270953665306607617

However, it didn’t go down well with many on Twitter lashing Guha for the tweet that sought to put Gujaratis down. Twitteratis also brought to light Philip Spratt’s history and his opposition to Nehru and his fashionable leftist policies which has been eulogized in Guha’s writings and speeches.

https://twitter.com/LiberalRightlst/status/1271284781167177728

Philip Spratt called your inspiration, hero and the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, “culturally backward” in 1939. You found it worth circulating in 2020. So have you changed your mind about Gandhi after eulogizing him in your books & essays in the last 15 years?

— Aarti Tikoo Singh (@AartiTikoo) June 11, 2020

Upon being called out he put another tweet that said he “may (or may not) endorse, in part or in whole” what he was quoting and asked people to reserve their praise or anger “to the ghost of the person being quoted”, conveniently distancing himself from the tweet.

Statutory warning; when I post quotes by others found in the course of my research, I do so because I find them arresting in some way. I may (or may not) endorse, in part or in whole, what I am quoting. Reserve your praise or your anger for the ghost of the person being quoted.

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) June 11, 2020

However, he was not given a free pass. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani that a group of elites were trying to divide Indians. He said in his tweet “Gujarat is great, Bengal is great… India is united. Our cultural foundations are strong, our economic aspirations are high.”

Earlier it was the British who tried to divide and rule. Now it is a group of elites who want to divide Indians.

Indians won’t fall for such tricks.

Gujarat is great, Bengal is great…India is united.

Our cultural foundations are strong, our economic aspirations are high. https://t.co/9mCuqCt7d1

— Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) June 11, 2020

With no strong comebacks he tweeted, “If the Gujarat Chief Minister is, at this moment in history, (a) so keenly following the tweets of a humdrum historian and (b) so easily confusing the historian with a dead writer being quoted, the State of Gujarat must indeed be in safe hands.”

If the Gujarat Chief Minister is, at this moment in history, (a) so keenly following the tweets of a humdrum historian and (b) so easily confusing the historian with a dead writer being quoted, the State of Gujarat must indeed be in safe hands.

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) June 11, 2020

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman too took a dig at the ‘humdrum historian’ with a picture of Polish children saved by Maharaja Jam Saheb Digvijaysinghji Jadeja, emphasizing Gujarat’s cultural ethos to which the latter again took a lazy comeback saying “even the Finance Minister is obsessing about a ‘humdrum historian’s tweets”.

In 1939, when Philip Spratt, from Britain, belonging to the Communist International wrote, (who ⁦⁦@Ram_Guha⁩ quotes) this was what was happening in Gujarat: Jamnagar…Maharaja Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Jadeja…saved 1000 Polish children #Culture https://t.co/5XsY2cL1WZ

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) June 11, 2020

I thought it was only the Gujarat CM, but now it seems even the FM is obsessing about a humdrum historian's tweets. The economy is surely in safe hands. https://t.co/bBpcK85Hel

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) June 11, 2020

FM Nirmala Sitharaman ensured that the economy is in safe hands and it doesn’t harm to share thoughts on national discourse while going about one’s job.

The economy is very much in safe hands; worry not, Mr. Guha. Taking cognisance of thoughts in current national discourse+responsibly doing my job aren’t mutually exclusive. Either way, an interest in history is a plus. Surely an intellectual such as yourself should know that . https://t.co/speBC2bggv

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) June 11, 2020

Later Ram Guha tweeted that he has been trying for 30 years to make Philip Spratt’s work known and thanked the ‘troll army’ for accomplishing it in a day.

I have been trying without success for thirty years to make the writer Philip Spratt better known; thank you to the Troll Army for accomplishing this in a day.

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) June 11, 2020

Later he tweeted another quote of Philip Spratt “In a free India, democratic Gandhism would be put to its most difficult test. It might be that the non-violent way towards a civilised society would prove itself. It is perhaps more likely that an effective dictatorship of the right would be set up…

Ramachandra Guha is known for his animosity towards Modi and Gujarat Model. Although he attributed his tweet to Philip Spratt, it seemed like it was once again an attempt by the ‘humdrum historian’ who was once a sports writer to take a dig at Gujarat and also exploit the linguistic differences to foment trouble.

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