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Updated July 23rd, 2022 at 15:08 IST

Seer Vijay Das death: Vasundhara Raje seeks high-level inquiry; tears into Rajasthan govt

Condoling the demise of seer Vijay Das, BJP vice president Vasundhara Raje pinned the blame squarely on the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan. 

Reported by: Akhil Oka
Seer Vijay Das death
Image: PTI/ANI | Image:self
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Condoling the demise of seer Vijay Das, BJP vice president Vasundhara Raje pinned the blame squarely on the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan. Addressing a press briefing, she claimed that illegal mining in the Braj region commenced once again during the Congress regime even though it was stopped when she was the CM in 2005.

Maintaining that Das would have been alive today had the administration initiated a dialogue, the ex-Rajasthan CM demanded a thorough probe into the incident.

Vasundhara Raje remarked, "If the state government had listened to the voice of the seers and didn't take 551 days to take action, he wouldn't have lost his life today. On the demand of the seers, our government stopped the illegal mining going on in the Braj region on January 27, 2005. But this Congress government re-started the illegal mining in the Braj region which is linked to faith. In a state where the seers have to start an agitation to push for the demands for the welfare of the people and sacrifice themselves, there cannot be greater anarchy than this."

"After the incident, the CM himself is admitting that he is helpless. He is accepting that we are not able to stop the illegal mining in the state. This makes it clear who is responsible for the seer's death. If there is anyone who is responsible, it is the Gehlot-led state government. I feel that a high-level probe should be initiated. The accused which includes officials, politicians had talked with the seers and tried to understand the problem, this incident may not have happened. That's why the incident should be probed and the guilty should get the maximum punishment," the former CM added. 

Meanwhile, Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia also hit out at Gehlot. He opined, "While protecting nature, a saint passed away like this, was this the duty of the state government? The government is for the defense (of citizens), but it is busy with the protection of someone else. No CM has had such a loose hold on bureaucracy in the history of the Rajasthan government to date".

Expressing his condolences on the seer's demise, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat contended that the Congress government gave precedence to the opinion of the mafia over the people. 

Rajasthan government accepts demand

Vijay Das set himself ablaze on July 20 during the protest against illegal stone mining in Rajasthan's Bharatpur and passed away in the wee hours of Saturday. Das along with other seers sat on a dharna for nearly 551 days in protest against this illegality.

A day after Das' self-immolation, the Ashok Gehlot-led government assured to close down the mines in the Adi Badrinath and Kankhachal Hills areas after which the agitation ended. It promised to issue a notification within 15 days to declare the area where the mines are operated as a forest area. 

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Published July 23rd, 2022 at 15:08 IST

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