In a virtual show of strength, Minister of State for Fisheries Purshottam Solanki remained away from the second cabinet meeting of Vijay Rupani led BJP-government in Gujarat on Wednesday.
Even as Rupani presided over the meeting attended by deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and other ministers, Solanki hosted his supporters from Koli community at his official residence in the state capital Gandhinagar.
The supporters had converged in Gandhinagar from different parts of the state with a demand that Solanki be given a cabinet rank and portfolio other than fisheries. Solanki's brother, former MLA Hira Solanki, was also present.
Solanki is a five-time MLA and every time he has been a minister, he was given the fisheries portfolio.
The minister said that he did not want to say anything, and that the supporters were voicing their concerns. Several of his supporters wanted a cabinet rank for him and felt that while Rupani had so many portfolios under him, Solanki was given only one department and a status of minister of state.
The Koli community has a decisive say in 45 out of the 182 assembly seats in Gujarat.
On Tuesday, Solanki had said that Lok Sabha elections were due in 2019 and the Koli community would decide whom to side with. This was a warning of sorts and Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama attempted to mediate.
Solanki is the second minister after Patel to have expressed displeasure over portfolio allocation. Patel was given finance portfolio after protests by Patidars and an assurance by national BJP president Amit Shah.
Even as Solanki episode exposed the BJP's vulnerability, state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya told THE WEEK that the party would sort out the problem in an amicable manner. Questioned whether more such people could use pressure tactics to get posts, Pandya said that the party would discuss and sort out the issue.
The BJP managed to secure only 99 seats in the recently concluded assembly elections.
The party faces strong opposition in Congress, municipal elections and elections to four Rajya Sabha seats in April.
