Amarsinh: From engineer to Gujarat CM

Veteran Congress leader and former Gujarat CM Amarsinh Chaudhary died on Sunday after prolonged illness. He was 64.Chaudhary, the Leader of ...

Veteran Congress leader and former Gujarat CM Amarsinh Chaudhary died on Sunday after prolonged illness. He was 64.

Chaudhary, the Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly, was admitted to a city hospital on July 24 for severe liver and kidney complications. ‘‘He was also suffering from bleeding in the oesophagus for the past 25 days. The bleeding started again on August 13 and a team of doctors from Mumbai tried to stop it last night,’’ said Dr Kaushal Vyas, who was attending on Chaudhary.

His body is being taken to his bungalow in Gandhinagar for people to pay their last respects. He will be cremated in his native town of Dolvan in Vyara Taluka of Surat on Monday.

Story continues below this ad

In a political career spanning nearly three decades, Chaudhary was Chief Minister of Gujarat from July 6, 1985 to December 9, 1989. Chaudhary, a prominent tribal leader, rose from the ranks of an additional civil engineer in Mandvi district panchayat to Gujarat Chief Minister. Roped into the nitty-gritty of politics by veteran leader Zeenabhai Darji, Chaudhary began his political career in the early 70s, getting elected to the state Assembly for the first time in 1972. He followed it up with six more terms — three as Khedbrahma MLA and four from his home turf, Vyara.

Before he took over chief ministership from Madhavsinh Solanki, Chaudhary had handled several portfolios in earlier ministries.

A staunch Congressman till his last, Chaudhary was the one of the leaders who had taken on Narendra Modi most vociferously after his party suffered one of its most ignominious defeats at the hands of the BJP in the December 2002 elections held in backdrop of the Godhra riots.

Within the Congress though, Chaudhary crossed paths with Shankersinh Vaghela and a few MLAs demanded his resignation, alleging he was ‘‘hand-in-glove’’ with Modi. Vaghela soon replaced him as GPCC chief before the December elections.

Story continues below this ad

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said Chaudhary’s death was a big loss to the state. Modi, who went to Chaudhary’s residence at Gandhinagar said, ‘‘he was a shining star in politics after gaining a strong education in spite of emerging from an adivasi background’’. ‘‘Chaudhary was a strong advocate for the rights of the poor and always lent his support, even as leader of Opposition, for pro-poor policies,’’ he added. The CM announced two-day state mourning.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi expressed shock over Chaudhary’s death. In her message to the family members, Gandhi described him as a dedicated leader committed to the cause of the downtrodden and an astute parliamentarian. ‘‘The party has lost a senior leader and the void created would be difficult to fill in the near future,’’ she said.

— (PTI)