Ahmad Patel's absence at recent party events has set too many tongues wagging. It is rumoured that after winning a bitterly fought election to a Rajya Sabha seat, Patel had disappeared from the scene. He was missing from party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's three-day Saurashtra yatra in September. His absence from the condolence meeting of Vimlaben Solanki, mother of Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki, triggered speculations whether Sonia Gandhi's confidant was being deliberately kept at a distance. While political circles are abuzz with conjectures about Patel's fall from grace, Indianmandarins has learnt that this is not the case. The reason for his absence has been simple: he had fallen ill. He has been recovering from an infection and was advised to stay away from crowded functions. But all seems hunky-dory once again. On October 9, he greeted and received Rahul at Ahmedabad airport and then accompanied him through the day.