In a surprising absence that caught the attention of many, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel did not attend a key event in Gandhinagar where Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the nationwide initiative, ‘Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar’. The programme, held at the Gandhinagar Town Hall, aims to raise public awareness about unclaimed financial assets lying with various banks and financial regulators across the country.

Finance Minister Sitharaman emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring that citizens reclaim their rightful funds and understand the process of accessing them. Gujarat Finance Minister Kanu Desai, who represented the state government at the event, formally launched the campaign alongside Sitharaman. During his speech, Desai informed the audience that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was expected to arrive shortly. However, the Chief Minister never made it to the venue.

Sources later confirmed that Patel was attending a crucial political event — the formal ceremony where Jagdish Vishwakarma took charge as the new president of the Gujarat unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The swearing-in function was held at the party’s state headquarters, roughly 10 kilometers away from the Gandhinagar Town Hall.

While the Chief Minister’s absence was explained as a scheduling overlap, it did not go unnoticed among the attendees and observers, given the presence of a senior Union minister at the state-level launch. The event was seen as an important step toward promoting transparency and accountability in the financial sector, aligning with the central government’s broader goal of financial inclusion and awareness.

Despite Patel’s absence, the programme continued smoothly, with Sitharaman urging people to check for unclaimed assets and claim their dues through official portals. The Finance Minister highlighted that a significant amount of money remains unclaimed, and the new initiative is meant to empower citizens to access what is rightfully theirs.