Shivraj pays tribute to late Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani on birth anniversary
Synopsis
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan paid tribute to late Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on his birth anniversary, calling him a friend and honouring his legacy of public service and national development.
Key Takeaways
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan posted a tribute on 2 August 2026 marking the birth anniversary of late BJP leader Vijay Rupani .
Vijay Rupani served as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021 and was a senior figure in the BJP .
Chouhan referred to Rupani as 'our friend' and said he would 'always live on in our memories and hearts.' Both Chouhan and Rupani were long-serving BJP leaders who served as Chief Ministers of their respective states — Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat .
The tribute reflects the BJP's established practice of publicly honouring deceased senior leaders on birth and death anniversaries.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday, 2 August 2026, offered floral tributes to late Vijay Rupani, former Chief Minister of Gujarat and senior BJP leader, on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
Posting in Hindi on X, Chouhan wrote: 'भारतीय जनता पार्टी के वरिष्ठ नेता, गुजरात के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री, हमारे मित्र स्व. विजय रूपाणी जी की जयंती पर श्रद्धासुमन अर्पित करता हूँ!' — 'I offer my heartfelt tributes on the birth anniversary of senior BJP leader, former Chief Minister of Gujarat, our friend, the late Vijay Rupani Ji.' He added that through his work in public service and the advancement of the nation and society, Rupani 'will always live on in our memories and hearts.'
Who was Vijay Rupani
Vijay Rupani served as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021, a tenure that spanned significant periods of the state's administrative and economic activity. A long-standing member of the BJP, he rose through the ranks of the party's organisational structure before assuming the state's top executive post.
Rupani was known within party circles for his commitment to public service and his role in furthering BJP's presence in Gujarat, a state the party has governed continuously for decades. His death marked a significant loss for the party's senior leadership.
Two former Chief Ministers, one party, a shared legacy
Chouhan's tribute underscores a familiar pattern in Indian political life — senior leaders publicly marking the birth and death anniversaries of departed colleagues, reinforcing bonds of shared ideology and institutional memory. That a former four-term Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh is honouring a former Chief Minister of Gujarat speaks to the pan-India character of the BJP's senior leadership network.
For Chouhan, now stewarding agriculture and rural development policy at the Centre, the gesture is both personal — he refers to Rupani as 'our friend' — and political, keeping the memory of a party stalwart alive in the public record.
On birth anniversaries, the tributes flow — but the leaders who shaped states rarely fade quietly from the party's collective conscience.
Point of View
Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, both BJP strongholds. It also reflects how the party uses social media to institutionalise the memory of departed leaders, sustaining their symbolic presence within the broader BJP narrative. For Chouhan, now a central government minister, such tributes maintain his visibility as a party elder beyond his immediate policy portfolio.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Vijay Rupani?
Vijay Rupani was a senior BJP leader who served as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021 . He was a long-standing member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and known for his work in public service.
Why did Shivraj Singh Chouhan pay tribute to Vijay Rupani?
Shivraj Singh Chouhan paid tribute to mark Vijay Rupani's birth anniversary , honouring his contributions to public service and the development of the nation and society.
When did Vijay Rupani serve as Gujarat Chief Minister?
Vijay Rupani served as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021 .
What did Shivraj Singh Chouhan say about Vijay Rupani?
Chouhan said that through his work in public service and the advancement of the nation and society, Vijay Rupani 'will always live on in our memories and hearts,' also referring to him as 'our friend.'
What is Shivraj Singh Chouhan's current role?
Shivraj Singh Chouhan is currently India's Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development . He is also a former four-term Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh .
