Ahmedabad

When asked by Indian Express, “sources say that you had been offered the party post(President of Gujarat Congress) three months ago. Why did you wait so long to wear the mantle?” Newly appointed Gujarat Congress Chief Bharatsinh Solanki replied: “Being part president is huge responsibility. It is not a simple task. So, I requested the high command to assign the responsibility to some one else. In fact, I suggested the names of Dr Tushar Chaudhary, Jagdish Thakor, Shaktisinh Gohil and several others. I told the party leaders that I will fully support and work with them. But they insisted that I take up the job. So, I had no other choice than to accept the new role. This led to delay in my taking over the job.”

Solanki in this interview to Indian Express correspondent Syed Khalique Ahmed said, “my strategy is different from my father’s who propounded the famous KHAM theory(Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi, Muslim). But the situation is now different.”

Solanki said he wants to focus on middle and urban classes who have remained away from the Congress.

“I want to use the political ability of upper castes to strengthen the party and the middle classes who have the ability to communicate and influence the poor people.That is why I want to focus on cities, corporations and municipality areas and strengthen the party in these pockets…..The BJP government in the state had been running for the last 20 years with the support of middle and upper classes and urban people,” he said.

Other things Solanki said and claims he made in this interview were common with shadow of party’s continuing socialist/left outlook. Highlights: planning agitation, people disappointed from budget, popularity of BJP and Modi going down, centre has betrayed middle class, few capitalists and industrialists benefiting, issues of farmers etc.

This was the first exclusive talk by Solanki with any of local newspapers after becoming state party president.