Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani considered 1206 his lucky number and ensured it featured on all vehicles he owned over the years. The number has now become synonymous with one of the worst aviation tragedies in India’s history, in which he lost his life along with 264 others on Thursday.
Rupani was among 242 persons on board a London-bound Air India flight that crashed into a building of a medical college and hostel in the Meghaninagar area moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon.
The former chief minister considered 1206 as his lucky number, but it has now become the date of his final journey, June 12 (12/6).
In his hometown Rajkot, people could identify Rupani’s car by its vehicle registration number 1206.
According to locals of Rajkot and journalists, Rupani’s scooters and cars bore the same number.
Rupani was travelling to his daughter’s place in London, as his wife Anjaliben, who is also an active member of the BJP, was also there.
Anjaliben reached Gandhinagar on Friday morning.
Gujarat state BJP chief and Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil on Thursday confirmed Rupani’s death in the plane crash.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the late CM Rupani’s family during his visit and in tweet mourned his loss as he wrote , Met the family of Shri Vijaybhai Rupani Ji. It is unimaginable that Vijaybhai is not in our midst. I’ve known him for decades. We worked together, shoulder to shoulder, including during some of the most challenging times. Vijaybhai was humble and hardworking, firmly committed to the Party’s ideology. Rising up the ranks, he held various responsibilities in the Organisation and went on to serve diligently as Gujarat’s Chief Minister.
