A seasoned politician who had an eye for art
GANDHINAGAR: Four-time Gujarat chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki, who died in his sleep at the age of 93 on Saturday, will be remembered as the architect of the KHAM theory that helped the Congress win 149 of 182 assembly seats in 1985, a record that even the subsequent ascendancy of the Hindutva movement failed to break.
Much before the Mandal commission report on the status of socially and educationally other backward classes (OBCS), the Solanki government introduced 10% reservation in jobs and educational institutions for OBCS in 1981. Solanki is also remembered as the first CM to introduce a midday meal for schoolchildren.
His KHAM (Kshatriya (OBC), Harijan, Adivasi, Muslim) theory of giving a larger share in power positions to members from these communities helped the Congress win elections and retain power in Gujarat for more than a decade and a half. He was the Gujarat CM four times between 1976 and 1990 and was the country’s external affairs minister under PM PV Narasimha Rao.
Solanki’s move to introduce reservations for OBCS resulted in an anti-reservation agitation across the state which led to riots between Hindus and Muslims and between the upper castes and Dalits, resulting in deaths of over a hundred people. Solanki resigned in 1985 only to return to power by winning a record 149 seats.
Solanki, after resigning as India’s external affairs minister, withdrew from all political activity and remained confined to his home, spending time on reading books, listening to music and watching movies. As a bibliophile, Solanki was the most widely read politician in Gujarat.
As the chief minister, he took a special interest in promoting art, literature, theatre and cinema in Gujarat. It was during his tenure that three film studios came up in the state and the government exempted Gujarati movies from entertainment tax.
His friends included eminent lawyers, artists, theatre and movie actors, directors and writers. Solanki was a connoisseur of art, literature and movies. He had a rich library of books and movies. A journalist before he joined politics, Solanki was a member of the legislative assembly of the Bombay state in 1957-60 and then of the Gujarat legislative assembly from 1960-68.
Solanki’s cabinet was known to have many highly educated and multifaceted ministers who had done well in various fields – finance, engineering, social work, law and trade union movement. Outside of his cabinet too, Solanki picked up eminent personalities from varied fields to head various state boards and corporations.