Sunita: Patel honour

Ahmedabad, Sept. 18: Astronaut Sunita Williams will receive an award named after Vallabhbhai Patel here on Friday, but Narendra Modi has not confirmed his presence despite being patron of the organisation bestowing the prize.

The Gujarat chief minister, hostile to the Indian-American’s family, may not find the company on the dais to his liking.

About 20 of Sunita’s relatives will watch governor Nawal Kishore Sharma hand the Rs 2.5-lakh Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vishwa Pratibha Award to the space traveller on the second day of her weeklong India visit.

One of the chief guests will be Sunita’s uncle Vitthalbhai Pandya, the father of slain ex-minister Haren Pandya whom Modi saw as his arch-rival in the party. After Haren’s daylight murder, Vitthalbhai had publicly accused the chief minister of plotting the crime.

The guest list includes Union minister Shankersinh Vaghela, state Congress president Bharat Solanki, former state minister Jaynarayan Vyas and mayor Amit Shah — many of them Modi’s political opponents.

The Vishwa Gujarati Samaj, spread across 128 countries, has chosen the “beloved daughter of Gujarat” for this year’s award because of “her record 195-day odyssey in space”, its president Krishnakant Vakharia announced today.

“The chief minister has been invited but is yet to confirm his participation,” Vakharia said about the ex-officio patron. Sunita will be the sixth recipient of the only major prize named after Patel.

Sources said Modi was unlikely to attend the ceremony but might be at another function at Gujarat University where Sunita would be felicitated on September 22.

Modi had for months refused to join the country in congratulating Sunita for her achievements because she happened to be Haren’s cousin. But after the state Congress made an issue of it, Modi realised the matter could boomerang on him in the upcoming elections.

Early this month, he announced that Sunita would be a state guest during her visit and asked Gujarat University to honour her.