BJP corporator Narendra Solanki ends fast, says ready to face arrest

“I have called off my indefinite hunger strike as ordered by Vijaybapu, my spiritual elder brother.He has told me that being a sanyasi, I cannot do this and rather let people do whatever they wish. Now, police can arrest me anytime they wish and from anywhere, be it Otloor my residence in Rajkot city,” Solanki told The Indian Express after ending his two-day long fast.

Solanki, a former deputy mayor of Rajkot city and former chairman of standing committee of Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC), was a corporator of the ruling BJP from Ward number 19 of RMC. Otlo or Aapa Giga no Otlo is a campus developed by him near pilgrim town of Chotila in Surendrangar district. It was on this campus that Solanki had turned a sanyasi in June last year in the presence of Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and a host of ministers of state government. As head of the Otlo, Solanki provides free lodging and boarding facilities to pilgrims.

However, after his name cropped in investigation of an attempt on life of real estate broker Jagdish Rathod on March 3, Solanki had resigned as corporator on Monday. Soon after resigning, Solanki had gone on fast unto death at Trikon Baug alleging Bhaktinagar police inspector Jitudan Gadhvi, investigating officer (IO) of the case, had demanded Rs10 lakh bribe for not investigating his role in matter. He had announced he would not end his hunger strike until a probe was ordered against Gadhvi.

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On Tuesday, the 51-year-old seemed to intensify his agitation. His men stopped passersby at traffic-prone Trikon Baug till afternoon and distributed pamphlets recording his allegation against the PI. A sizable crowd was there in his camp until the evening when he ended his strike.

“It was a mistake to go on fast without consent of my guru. Agitation and fasts are tools of people in social or political sphere. I am no longer a politician or social activist. My guru has told me the only objective of my life now is to serve people by giving them free food and shelter,” Solanki added.

He said that he would break his fast after having darshan of his guru Jivrajbapu, head of Satadhar, a pilgrim place near Junagadh. Asked if he would resign from the primary membership of BJP also, Solanki avoided a direct answer. “I don’t want to be part of anything now. I have not been attending party meetings for the last one year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bhaktinagar police said they were gathering more evidence against Solanki. “We have received around 80 per cent of call data records (CDR) of Solanki. They prove that he was in constant touch with prime accused Vikram Khambhaliya,” the IO said.

Solanki had conceded that Khambhaliya was a BJP worker of RMC Ward number 20 and that he knew him well. Khambhaliya, Dolat Solanki and Manoj Solanki had surrendered before police on Saturday night. The trio are presently in police custody. City police commissioner Mohan Jha said they were not ruling out Narendra Solanki’s arrest as Khambhaliya has told investigators that he and the two others attacked Rathod at the behest of the politician.

Khambhaliya has further told police that Solanki had asked him to break Rathod’s legs as the latter had posted comments on a social networking site against the politician-turned-sanyasi.

Incidentally, Rathod’s wife Damyanti is also BJP corporator from RMC Ward number 22. Damyanti has also written to the police commissioner alleging Solanki was behind attack on her husband. Presently, Rathod is battling for his life in a city hospital. Khambhaliya and the two others had assaulted him when he was sitting in his office on March 3.

Repeated phone calls to Bhikha Vasoya, president of Rajkot city unit of BJP, went unanswered.