Madhavsinh Solanki, a veteran Congress leader and former Indian Foreign Minister who also served as Gujarat’s Chief Minister four times, passed away on Saturday at the age of 93. Solanki, Gujarat’s longest-serving congressional prime minister, was last seen in public about three years ago when he met congressional leaders on his birthday.
Solanki, who belongs to the Anand district town of Borsad, lived in Gandhinagar and died at his residence in his sleep, Congressional sources said.
Solanki’s funeral is likely to be held only after his son Bharatsinh Solani, who is also a former union minister, returns from the United States, family sources said.
Prime Minister Vijay Rupani mourned his passing and announced a day of state mourning on Saturday saying that “the veteran chief minister’s funeral would receive the honor of full state.” Rupani has also canceled his public event in the Mahisagar district and would chair a council of ministers that will meet in Gandhinagar to pass a condolence resolution on Saturday noon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to sympathize with Solanki’s death. “Shri Madhavsinh Solanki Ji was a formidable leader who played a key role in Gujarat politics for decades. He will be remembered for his rich service to society. Saddened by his passing. He spoke with his son, Bharat Solanki Ji and expressed his condolences. Om Shanti, ”he tweeted.
“Beyond politics, Shri Madhavsinh Solanki Ji enjoyed reading and was passionate about culture. Whenever I met him or talked to him, we would discuss books and he would tell me about a new book that he had recently read. I will always appreciate the interactions we had, ”added the prime minister.
Beyond politics, Shri Madhavsinh Solanki Ji enjoyed reading and was passionate about culture. Whenever I met him or talked to him, we would discuss books and he would tell me about a new book that he had recently read. I will always appreciate the interactions we had.
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 9, 2021
A former journalist, Solanki is known to have led Congress to its greatest victory, winning 149 of 182 seats in the legislative assembly in 1985. This became a record that no leader has been able to break. Solanki came to power in the KHAM (Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi, Muslim) coalition that he formed in the 1980s. He is credited as the proponents of KHAM, a theory that united these communities in support of Congress when the Patel had it. abandoned, and it is claimed that this kept Congress in power in the state.
An astute politician, Solanki was a member of the Bombay State Legislative Assembly in 1957-60 and then the Gujarat Legislative Assembly of 1960-68. He became the Prime Minister of Gujarat for the first time in 1976. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1988 to 1994, during which he held the portfolios as trade union minister for Planning (1988-89) and Foreign Affairs (1991).
He was re-elected to the Rajya sabha in 1994. Solanki has served as Chairman of the Gujarat Pradesh Congressional Committee three times.
In 1981, when Patels-led upper castes agitated for two months against his government and the OBC reserve, Solanki met with then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. “When the harijans were attacked in Gujarat, Ms. Gandhi asked me about it. He listened to my version of events and said, ‘This is unwarranted agitation. Don’t submit. ‘ She was so supportive of my position that she arranged to send special police forces on special planes from neighboring states when the Harijans were attacked by the upper castes. In early 1982, I was able to restore peace for a time. “
In the Narasimha Rao government, Solanki was Minister of Foreign Affairs. He started a fight when, during a visit to Switzerland in 1992, he allegedly met with the Swiss foreign minister and told him that the investigations into the Bofors scandal in India had produced no results and that politics were behind the request. Indian assistance on the probe.
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