Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], July 12 : Rushabh Rupani, son of former Gujarat Chief Minister late Vijay Rupani, expressed deep gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their support following the tragic Air India plane crash on June 12, which claimed his father's life.
In an emotional tribute, Rushabh recalled cherished family moments and highlighted his father's enduring legacy in Gujarat.
"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their emotional support since the incident on 12 June. Both of them came and met our family, and gave us a lot of love. We are thankful for their constant support," he told ANI on Saturday.
Reflecting on his last conversation with his father, Rushabh shared, "It has been our family's tradition to talk on video calls in the morning and evening. We spoke that day, too (on the day of the Air India plane crash). I was in America then. We talked about him going to his daughter, my sister's, house in London after two to three years... My daughter is two years old, and had a special relationship with my father. Whenever his call came, she herself started talking to him by taking my phone. She was singing songs with him when we last talked that day."
Rushabh emphasised his father's deep connection with the people of Gujarat, stating, "He was not just a part of our family, but a part of all the families of Gujarat. He used to say that 'vyakti se bada dal, dal se bada desh.' Even today, his thoughts and principles are alive throughout Gujarat."
Former Gujarat CM late Vijay Rupani was among the 241 who died when the London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff, colliding with a doctor's hostel complex near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12.
Rupani was accorded a 21-gun salute during his last rites, as a mark of respect to the departed leader. The last rites were performed at the Ramnathpara crematorium on June 16.