BJP's demand for Ahmed Patel's resignation over row on Islamic State suspect's arrest 'outrageous': Chidambaram

Rajkot: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday dubbed as “outrageous” the BJP’s demand for resignation of Ahmed Patel from the Rajya Sabha over the issue that a suspected Islamic State operative arrested recently used to work at a hospital where the latter had been a trustee. “I am amazed by such outrageous demands,” Chidambaram told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_4181597” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of P Chidambaram. PTI[/caption] “Ahmed Patel was a trustee of the hospital and had resigned in 2015. This person who was arrested seems to have joined the hospital as a technician last year and had resigned a couple of days prior to his arrest,” the former union minister said. “Now, if somebody who has joined in the last one year as a technician has an Islamic State connect, then how is a trustee from three years ago responsible?,” he asked. On Friday, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani demanded Patel’s resignation as a Rajya Sabha MP, alleging that a suspected Islamic State operative arrested recently used to work at a hospital where Patel had been a trustee earlier. Patel had rejected the charge as “completely baseless” and urged the BJP not to politicise matters pertaining to national security and divide the peace-loving Gujaratis. Rupani was referring to the recent arrest of two suspected ISIS operatives by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS). As per the FIR, one of the accused, Kasim Stimberwala, used to work as a technician at Sardar Patel Hospital in Ankleshwar town of Bharuch district.