Ahmedabad: Four time CM of Gujarat Madhavsinh Solanki, who holds the record of forming government by winning maximum 149(so far) seats in 182 member assembly today said that if a strong BJP leader like Narendra Modi as the then CM could not make his party surpass this number, how could the less known faces and new people (the current state leadership ) achieve the 150+ target set by the party for the assembly polls this year.

Talking to a Gujarati news channel, Solanki, who is also the father of incumbent state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki, today said that Congress had won 149 seats in 1985 under his leadership.

‘The then CM Narendra Modi used to speak of breaking this record in almost all the BJP workers meet. But he could not actually do so. If a leader of his stature could not do so how can the new and lightweight leaders of current BJP in the state will do this,’ he said in reply to a question about the slogan of BJP about crossing 150+ seats this time around.

Notably Solanki, a strong leader of Congress who was also known for his Kshatriya, Harijan, Aadivasi and Muslim combination ie KHAM theory and also for his notorious statement against the Patidar community during his regime, had also served as the minister of external affairs of the country.

In 1981, the Government of Gujarat headed by Solanki, introduced the reservation for socially and economically backward classes based on recommendations of Bakshi Commission. It resulted in anti-reservation agitation across the state which spilled over in riots resulting in more than hundred deaths. Solanki resigned in 1985 but later returned to power winning 149 out of 182 assembly seats. He was supported by Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi and Muslims; called collectively as KHAM formula.

DeshGujarat