He dominated State politics for decades and was regarded as a mass leader

New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader Madhavsinh Solanki, 93, who served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat four times and also as a Union Minister, passed away in Gandhinagar on 09January,2021.His son Bharatsinh Solanki is also a former Union Minister.

The soft-spoken and mild-mannered Solanki was a Congress stalwart in Gujarat. The Congress party won its last Assembly polls in the State under his leadership in 1985.

In 1985, the Congress won 149 out of the 182 Assembly seats, which still remains a record in the State’s politics.

Shri Madhavsinh Solanki also served as Union Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi and P.V. Narsimha Rao governments at the Centre. He was India’s External Affairs Minister from June 1991 to March 1992.

However, he had to resign from the Union ministry in the wake of a controversy following his meeting with the then Foreign Minister of Switzerland in Davos.

Before that, in 1985 too, he had to resign from the Chief Ministership following anti-reservation riots in the State.

A staunch loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family, starting with late Indira Gandhi, Madhavsinh Solanki dominated Gujarat politics for decades and was regarded as the most powerful politician and mass leader in the State.

His ‘KHAM’ (Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi and Muslim) experiment proved to be a powerful social alliance in electoral politics, which won the Congress party landslide victories for two decades.

Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi and former party President Shri Rahul Gandhi also condoled the death and sent their floral tributes to Madhavsinh through their representatives. A written message of condolence from Sonia Gandhi to Bharatsinh Solanki was also read out at the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan where Madhavsinh’s body was kept for around an hour.

In a condolence message from Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi to his son, she said, “Shri Madhavsinh Solanki played a key role in Gujarat’s progress and development, and during his long tenure as Chief Minister, one of his many achievements was to foster social harmony and unite the different communities in Gujarat. His gift for bringing people together, for establishing a rapport with people from all walks of life, was also evident during his distinguished career as a Union Minister at the centre, and as a parliamentarian. Madhavsinh Ji was a loyal and dedicated member of the Congress party, whom we greatly valued for his wisdom and experience. The Congress party will always honour his memory.”

In another message by former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, he said, “He was one of the Congress stalwarts from the State of Gujarat who served as the Chief Minister of the Gujarat state for four times and also as Union Minister for External Affairs. Shri Solanki dominated Gujarat politics for decades and was regarded as a powerful politician and a mass leader in the Gujarat state. His service for the country, especially, to the state of Gujarat will always be remembered by the people of our country.

Shri Rahul Gandhi tweeted on Solanki Ji’s death and said, “Saddened by the demise of Shri Madhavsinh Solanki. He will be remembered for his contribution in strengthening the Congress ideology & promoting social justice. Heartfelt condolences to his family & friends.”