Gandhinagar: Former Gujarat Chief Minister Madhavsinh Solanki passed away today morning at his residence here. He was 94. According to Babuji, his aide who was residing with him, Madhavsinh died in sleep. Babuji said when he went to Madhavsinh room to woke him up at around 5.00 am as per routine, he didn’t wake up and his body was cold. He was dead.

A veteran Congress leader and the former External Affairs Minister of India, who also served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for four times, is father of Gujarat Congress leader Bharatsinh Solanki.

Paying tribute to late Congress veteran, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi today in his tweets said: ‘Shri Madhavsinh Solanki Ji was a formidable leader, playing a key role in Gujarat politics for decades. He will be remembered for his rich service to society. Saddened by his demise. Spoke to his son, Bharat Solanki Ji and expressed condolences. Om Shanti.Beyond politics, Shri Madhavsinh Solanki Ji enjoyed reading and was passionate about culture. Whenever I would meet him or speak to him, we would discuss books and he would tell me about a new book he recently read. I will always cherish the interactions we had.’

The Government of Gujarat has declared one day mourning following demise of late leader. Gujarat Chief Minister has cancelled his schedule public programme at Mahisagar today and decided to convene a cabinet meeting to pay tribute to Solanki.

Veteran politician, Madhavsinh Solanki was MLA of Mumbai State before Gujarat was carved out. He was MLA of Gujarat from day one when Gujarat State came into existence in 1960. His debut in politics was thanks to his father-in-law a senior Congress politician then in Central Gujarat who choose Madhavsinh as candidate for Borsad seat.

A lawyer by profession and Kshatriya from Borsad town of Central Gujarat, Solanki first became Chief Minister for a brief period in 1977. In the 1980 assembly election, the party won handsomely — 141 of the 182 seats — and the BJP managed only nine. In 1985, Solanki government returned to power with record 149 seats. Solanki was later replaced with Amarsinh Chaudhary as Chief Minister but returned to power for a brief time just before the general elections of assembly in which Congress lost.

Madhavsinh had been deputy minister and minister in Gujarat cabinets before becoming Chief Minister. As a Chief Minister he had conceived and introduced Mid-day meal after his return from Russia where he witnessed something similar. The scheme was later under the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi was introduced countrywide on suggestion of Madhavsinh. Madhavsinh had in his one interview said, ‘Mid-day meal started from Gujarat and became successful here. When five-year plan was to be made, I told then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi that children are across the country, why such scheme should be limited to Gujarat and not introduced countrywide? I told him that I had talked to Manmohan Singh about this but he said that cost of free meal per day for 8 to 9 lakh children would require huge budget. Rajiv asked me, what do I think about this. I told him that children would come for lunch to schools and sit together and have meal. Children from various castes and faiths would seat together and break bread. This would uproot casteism and religious differences from their minds from childhood itself. Rajiv took my hand in his hand and gave go ahead.’

Madhavsinh was believes to have brought KHAM (Kshatriya – Harijan – Adivasi – Muslim) theory in Gujarat politics. However he had said in his later interviews that it was not he who coined KHAM. ‘Indira had told me that Harijan Adivasi and backward class people were in backward condition and I should mobilize them properly. I mobilized them and it was given name of KHAM theory. KHAM was not about excluding some segments. I had Brahmins like Prabodh Rawal and Sanat Mehta and Patels in my cabinet.’

In the Narasimha Rao government, Solanki was Foreign Minister. His visit to Switzerland in 1992 triggered huge controversy, as he allegedly met the Swiss foreign minister and told him that inquiries into the Bofors scandal in India had not produced any result, and that politics was behind the Indian request for assistance in the probe.

Madhavsinh never returned to active politics after this. He had refused to say anything about Bofors letter row in all these years as the issue was subjudise. He had only maintained that he had to speak something to save Narsimha Rao which was used against him by agencies.

For last many years Soalnki was living in very simplistic manner at his residence in Gandhinagar. He would come to public only on his birthdays, celebrated by his supporters.

Madhavsinh was once Gujarat’s longest serving Chief Minister till Narendra Modi as a Chief Minister broke that record.

Madhavsinh’s final rites will take place in Gandhinagar after arrival of his politician son Bharatsinh Solanki’s return from America. Bharatsinh is former Gujarat Congress president and also former minister in the Centre. When asked about his son Bharatsinh, Madhavsinh Solanki had in his one interview said that in last over one and half decade, he had never talked politics with Bharatsinh.

A book lover Madhavsinh, according to his aide Babuji, was fond of Ayurved. He would read Ayurved related books of Labhshankar Thaker and use Ayurvedic methods for healthy life.

DeshGujarat