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Former CM Suresh Mehta quits BJP, fought against Modi
Darshan Desai
31 August 2022
The BJP formed a coalition government with the Janata Dal in 1990. The BJP came to power in 1990 in partnership with Chimanbhai Patel’s Janata Dal (Gujarat). Coming to power in 1995 was a milestone for the BJP.
In 1995, the BJP government was formed with an absolute majority. For the first time in Gujarat, BJP got majority on its own and got 121 seats out of 182. Keshubhai Patel became the Chief Minister, but within six months Shankarsinh Vaghela ousted him and Suresh Mehta was made the leader in his place. As part of the agreement, Suresh Mehta was installed as the acceptable leader for both the factions.
Then within 6 months after the rebellion of Shankarsinh Vaghela, senior BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee reached Gujarat to stop the split in the party.
Within six months Keshubhai’s government was overthrown and Suresh Mehta was elected in his place as the universally accepted leader. Who became the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He could barely complete a year.
While leaving the party, Suresh Mehta told how Keshubhai Patel was removed from the post without any fault in October 2001 and Modi was installed in his place. At that time BJP had 117 MLAs. When Advani decided to remove Keshubhai and bring in Modi in his place, not a single MLA was asked. Such a method caused us a lot of trouble, but keeping in mind the larger interest of the party, Suresh Mehta and everyone remained silent.
Suresh Mehta was made the chief minister when Shankarsinh Vaghela overthrew his own BJP government. He was one of the few early members of the Jana Sangh in Gujarat. Mehta was not ready to become the Chief Minister in such a polluted environment. He realized that he would not be able to operate freely amid intra-group and intra-party tensions. The dirty politics of internal conspiracy never attracted me.
The Narendra Modi group and Keshubhai Patel were also not ready to accept Shankersinh Vaghela as the Chief Minister under any circumstances.
Suresh Mehta had a gentle nature and did not compromise on principles. Perhaps this is the reason why the camps of Shankarsinh Vaghela and Narendra Modi were face to face. Still, Suresh Mehta remained a neutral figure.
Suresh Mehta, the former Chief Minister of Gujarat was known for his in-depth study of the subject and style of presenting the issue.
After overthrowing Mehta, Shankarsinh Vaghela again revolted and formed his own separate Rashtriya Janata Party. Congress supported him from outside and thus Vaghela became the chief minister.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee told Suresh Mehta of Mandvi, a native of Kutch that now the party is facing a big crisis, you should accept the responsibility. When Mehta was in limbo, Bajpai told him, ‘Ranchod mat bani, ko lelo hai’. So finally I was ready, still not convinced. He had great respect for Atalji. He said so I had to follow him.
He became Chief Minister on 21 October 1995, but lost power in September 1996. Vaghela rebelled again, so now President’s rule was imposed in Gujarat after heavy uproar in the assembly.
A new government was formed after Vaghela installed the Rajp and got the support of the Congress. However, that government also did not last long and in 1998, elections were held again in Gujarat.
In 1998, BJP won a majority and Keshubhai Patel again became the Chief Minister. In his government, Suresh Mehta remained the Industries Minister as before.
Suresh Mehta, who holds a law degree, has been an expert on constitutional matters and can corner the opposition on any difficult issue in the House.
When the opposition tried to corner the government in the legislature on various issues, Suresh Mehta used to handle the proceedings due to his skill. As a studious minister, Suresh Mehta was always well equipped with the knowledge of his subject.
Statistics and legal provisions are at their fingertips. He was always ready to answer even in front of journalists. Even though he was chief minister for only one year, this experience gave him the knowledge of the working of the government and other ministries as a whole.
He got into public life from an early age. India got independence in 1947 when he was 12 years old. Suresh Mehta joined the independent party. Entered politics. Rajagopalachari broke away from the Congress and founded an independent party.
However, this party lasted only till 1959. Meanwhile, when the 1957 Lok Sabha elections came, Suresh Mehta joined the Jana Sangh as a worker.
In 1964 he officially joined the Kutch unit of the Jana Sangh. At that time the Jana Sangh had only 150 members. Later the Bharatiya Janata Party was born from the Jana Sangh.
Suresh Mehta was never very close to the RSS. His thinking has always been of broad secular nationalism. He had no religion.
Suresh Mehta contested the assembly elections for the first time in 1971. After this, he also contested a by-election in 1974 on the seat that fell vacant due to the death of an MLA. Lost both times. After that he won from Mandvi seat for the first time in 1975. He did not contest elections in 1980, but from 1995 onwards he again won from Mandvi consecutively and became MLA five times.
Keshubhai again became the Chief Minister in 1998 but he did not complete five years, don’t come. Once again they were thrown out and their
Narendra Modi took the place.
Bringing forth the principles at that time, Suresh Mehta told Movdi Mandal that it was difficult for him to work under a junior leader like Narendra Modi. However, once again he had to succumb to the demands of Movdi Mandal and Vajpayee insisted that he continue to serve as the Minister of Industries.
Suresh Mehta lost the December 2002 assembly election. Now only one person in BJP works according to the wishes of Narendra Modi. BJP decided to go against it.
After his stint as Chief Minister, he eventually resigned from the party when he felt that the party had lost its democracy. He had to campaign against the BJP to end the alleged autocracy of Narendra Modi over Gujarat BJP.
In 2007, when he announced his exit from the BJP, he said at a press conference, “I am leaving the house that I built as a palace for the BJP, as it is no longer viable.” When the whole party is running at the behest of one man, I have decided that it is better for me to leave the party.
Suresh Mehta had to leave the party he had spent 50 years of his life in.
He also had to campaign against the party in the 2007 elections to prevent Narendra Modi from coming back to power. At that time he met Narendra Modi and his mentor Manata L. K. Accusing Advani, he said that these leaders have destroyed internal democracy in the party.
