By TwoCircles.net, Staff Reporter
Rajasthan: Gurusharan Chabbra, a former Janata Dal MLA & minister, died on Tuesday morning after a month-long protest demanding the setting up of independent and strong Lokayukta & implementing total prohibition on liquor.
Chabbra, 70, was elected as MLA from Suratgarh on Janta Dal ticket from 1977-1980 but when the party got disbanded, he joined BJP and later quit active politics in 1992. He remained independent for the rest of his life.
He had been on an indefinite hunger strike since last one month and was put on a ventilator after he slipped into coma.
This was the fourth time he was on a hunger strike for the two demands. In 2013, the Ashok Gehlot government had agreed to concede his demands, but Vasundhara Raje soon took over as Chief Minister.
Meanwhile a war of words have been broken out with political parties and activists blaming the death on Vasundhara Raje and the BJP government’s insensitiveness towards the issue In April 2014, Chabbra went on a hunger strike and later broke it on May 15 after a representative from state government promised to concede to their demands. Rajendra Singh Rathore, then the health minister, had signed the agreement on the behalf of the government.
After the government backtracked from its promise, he again went on hunger strike on October 2 and was taken to hospital on October 17.
“Last year Chabbra sat on a fast demanding a stronger Lokayukta and a State-wide ban on liquor. Following which, in May, last year, the Vasundhara Raje government agreed to fulfil his demands. But after the failure of the Raje government in sticking to its promise, Chhabra had to again sit on the fast on October 2,” Sawai Singh, president of the Lok Sangharsh Morcha told The Hindu Sawai Singh said no government representative visited Chabbra while he was on fast, and the two ministers visited the hospital after he was declared brain-dead.
The BJP ministers Rajendra Singh Rathore and Arun Chaturvedi, who visited Chabbra’s residence after his death, faced the anger of the people who said the government was “indifferent” to someone fighting social causes.
He was almost a veteran of hunger strikes and dreamt of Rajasthan as a liquor-free state. He had also launched a liquor free campaign with legendary Gandhian Gokul Bhai Bhatt.
Chabbra’s family members have decided to donate the body to SMS hospital.