Ashok Chandulal Bhatt (1939-2010) was an Indian politician from Gujarat state, affiliated with

Bharatiya Jana Sangh The Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, full name: Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh; ) ( ISO 15919: '' Akhila Bhāratīya Jana Saṅgha '' ) was an Indian right wing political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was the po ...

and

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...

. He was the Speaker of the

Gujarat Legislative Assembly Gujarat Legislative Assembly or Gujarat Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Gujarat, in the state capital Gandhinagar. Presently, 182 members of the Legislative Assembly are directly elected from single-member c ...

when he died.

Political career

He entered public life in 1956 through Mahagujarat Movement and joined the ''

Jansangh The Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, full name: Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh; ) (ISO 15919: '' Akhila Bhāratīya Jana Saṅgha '' ) was an Indian right wing political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was the pol ...

'' in 1960. He was very vocal in favour of banning

gutka Gutka, ghutka, guṭkha or betel quid is a chewing tobacco preparation made of crushed areca nut (also called betel nut), tobacco, catechu, paraffin wax, slaked lime (Calcium hydroxide) and sweet or savory flavourings, in India, Pakistan, other ...

and other

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

products altogether in the state. He also took part in Nav Nirman Movement. He was BJP's losing candidate from Ahmedabad (Lok Sabha constituency) in 1984. But he was elected from Khadia seat to Gujarat Vidhan Sabha eight times in a row. In 1975, as Jana Sangh candidate, and then eight times in a row from 1980 to 2007 as member of BJP. He was Minister for Health, Law and Justice for the

Government of Gujarat The Government of Gujarat, also known as Gujarat Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Gujarat and its 33 districts. It consists of an executive of the legislators appointed by the Governor of Gujarat, a judiciar ...

when Keshubhai Patel was CM. Bhatt was forced to resign along with

Harin Pathak Harin Pathak (born 20 July 1947) is an Indian politician who was a member of the fourteenth Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Ahmedabad East constituency of Gujarat and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Phatak was denied a tick ...

who was Minister of State for Defence Production in center government in a case of instigating a mob leading to the lynching of Head Constable Laxman Desai during an anti-quota agitation in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

in April 1985. Later he was the speaker of the assembly at the time of his death.

Personal life

Bhatt was married to Jyoti, the couple had one daughter and three sons, including Bhushan Bhatt who was a member of the

from Jamalpur-Khadiya from 2012 to 2017 but lost in 2017 elections. Bhatt died due to multiple organ failure in SAL Hospital in Ahmedabad on 29 September 2010 at 10:45pm where he was undergoing treatment of a heart problem for nearly three weeks.

References

1939 births 2010 deaths Politicians from Ahmedabad Gujarat MLAs 1980–1985 Gujarat MLAs 1985–1990 Gujarat MLAs 1990–1995 Gujarat MLAs 1995–1998 Gujarat MLAs 1998–2002 Gujarat MLAs 2007–2012 Speakers of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Gujarat Gujarat MLAs 1975–1980 Gujarat MLAs 2002–2007 {{Gujarat-BJP-politician-stub