VAPI, Aug 3: Gujarat Deputy Minister for Labour and Employment Purushottam Solanki's serious road accident on Saturday night has sent shock waves here. Political circles are abuzz with rumours of alleged foul play in the accident. The minister who was on his way to Mumbai met with an accident near Bhilad, eight kms from here, under the jurisdiction of the Umargaon police station.The minister was returning to Mumbai after attending the camp organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party at Kevadia colony when the incident occurred.
One of the security guards was also injured when the car the minister was travelling in rammed into a truck. According to the FIR, the incident occurred around 11.20 pm.
However, BJP leaders in Vapi alleged that it was an attempt on the ministers life. They claimed that the truck was following the minister from Navsari, overtook it and suddenly stopped it in front of the ministers car leading to the mishap.
Surprisingly, the police complaint lodged by the driver does not speak ofthe conspiracy angle. The truck driver sped on. The complaint has been lodged under Section 279 of the Indian Penal Code for causing injury due to rash driving.
The minister was admitted in Haria Rotary hospital where he was operated upon for a small crack on his bladder. He had complained of severe pain in the lower abdomen.
The Ministers security guard Narottam Dhandhaliya, 29, who got his left leg fractured told The Indian Express that Solanki, who was travelling in a government vehicle, had moved in a Voyager, at Vapi. The government car was about a km behind ministers private car in which two more persons were accompanying him who escaped unhurt.
I do not remember what happened after our car collided with the truck. I became unconscious, Dhandhaliya said.
Barely a week ago, Solanki had told reporters at Ahmedabad that he had been receiving threatening calls for some time. The minister had said that he had been booked under TADA for protecting Hindus. Solanki's alleged links with theunderworld had created a controversy in the recent assembly elections when BJP fielded him from Ghogha assembly constituency in Bhavnagar.
Ministers personal assistant Bhavesh Rajgupta told reporters that it was not a accident but a conspiracy to kill Solanki by those who have been threatening him over the last two weeks. The minister had even sought more security staff after he received threatening phone calls.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
