Solanki resents Sonia picture on booklet

By Manas Dasgupta

GANDHINAGAR, MAY 18. The former All India Congress(I) Committee general secretary and former Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr. Madhavsinh Solanki, reportedly raised objections against printing a picture of the party president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, on the cover of a booklet published by the pradesh committee giving details of the scarcity manual.

Publishing the booklet was Mr. Solanki's idea and it was drafted on his behalf by his trusted lieutenant and advocate, Mr. Haroobhai Mehta, a former member of the Lok Sabha, but the PCC(I) agreed to bear the cost of printing and published it.

The booklet explained in layman's language the steps the State Government was required to take under the scarcity manual, the rights and privileges of the people affected by drought, the system of calculating wages under the relief works and such other basic information to enable the people to question the Government officials in case of any irregularity. In a way it was an extension of the Government's work but clearly an attempt was made to extract political mileage.

A person who dealt with drought and scarcity for about two decades holding the revenue portfolio when he was a Deputy Minister in the Hitendra Desai Cabinet and kept the department with himself even when he became the Chief Minister later, Mr. Solanki was opposed to politicise the drought and felt that printing pictures of Ms. Gandhi on the booklet would make her ``cheap.'' But it also reflected Mr. Solanki's growing disappointment with Ms. Gandhi though he is yet to jump into the bandwagon of her critics.

Mr. Solanki held the view that the deviation from her ``garibi hatao'' programme and embarking upon the economic reforms of Dr. Manmohan Singh distancing the Congress(I) from the poor had cost the party dearly. The way he was denied a renomination for the Rajya Sabha at the expiry of his second consecutive term in the Upper House last month is believed to have further angered the former External Affairs Minister.

The unexpected decision, claimed to be based on the objections raised against his renomination by a section of the State legislature party headed by his strong critic, Mr. Amarsinh Chaudhary, distanced Mr. Solanki from Ms. Gandhi. After more than a decade-and-a-half, Mr. Solanki quietly left Delhi and returned to his house in Gandhinagar.

A suggestion has reportedly been made to him to take over the PCC(I) presidentship from Mr. C. D. Patel, who the party high command feels has failed to deliver the goods, but a disappointed Mr. Solanki has so far turned down the offer. He is also reported to be closely watching the anti-Sonia Gandhi overtures by the likes of Mr. Jairam Ramesh and Mr. Vasant Sathe before deciding his stand on the leadership issue.

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