School teacher turned neta, Ben hangs her boots

AHMEDABAD: She is strict but good at heart... She may not change her style of functioning at this age“, PM Narendra Modi had famously said at the swearing-in ceremony of Anandiben Patel as the first woman chief minister of Gujarat in May 2014.
Central to her her golden heart is the legendary tale of heroism -as a teacher in Mohiniba Kanya Vidyalaya, Anandiben had jumped into a reservoir to save two girl students, one a Muslim girl who reached CMO to hug her and say thanks for saving her life.
Anandiben, the longest serving woman MLA and longest serving minister in Gujarat enjoyed uninterrupted stint of power for 18 long years as a minister heading ten departments including the powerful education, revenue and urban development ministry . Her anointment as CM by Modi in May 2014 was a feather in the cap which no woman has even worn in Gujarat.
The elevation was not a surprise as Anandiben had always remained a staunch Modi loyalist despite having worked closely with former CM Keshubhai Patel who was ousted by BJP in 2001 post-earthquake and replaced by Modi.
A fitness aficionado, Anandiben would exercise, walk and perform yoga daily and took pride in climbing stairs at her age without getting any knee pain or going breathless. Her secret was frugal eating and 'never taking sweets'.
Ironically, Anandiben was not known to possess a sweet tongue as well. Perceived as a arrogant and stern politician by party insiders and bureaucrats, she got along only infamously with Amit Shah, the right hand man of Modi even as she was considered the left. In fact, power corridors in Gandhinagar have remained rife since years with how the two key ministers in Modi cabinet never saw eye to eye. Lately , whenever Amit Shah would visit Gujarat, rumors of Ben's ouster would break the roof.
Not considered a popular, mass leader, Anandiben had to change her assembly seat thrice-from Mandal to Patan to Ghatlodiya-as she continued to win seats but was not famous for winning hearts.
In the 2 years, 2 months and 10 days of assuming power, Anandiben's disciplinarian style of functioning won her few admirers inside the party , administration and even the society at large that constantly compared her with the charismatic predecessor Narendra Modi.
Known to rarely smile, her crisp dismissals 'Andolano to thaya rakhe' (agitations keep happening'-her rude dismissal of a movement for OBC status by Patels, her own community-did little to control the stir from spiralling out of control. Her delayed reaction to Dalit flogging too was seen as a sign of flawed governance which caused much embarrassment to BJP fighting to attract Dalit votes in UP and Punjab.Anandiben's visit to Una came too late as BSP chief Mayawati had brought national shame on BJP in RS over the incident.