The former Janata Dal MLA, Gurusharan Chabbra, died on Tuesday morning after a month-long hunger strike to demand a stronger and independent Lokayukta in Rajasthan and a State-wide ban on liquor. Political parties and activists blamed the death on the Vasundhara Raje government’s “apathy.”
On Monday morning, Chabbra, 70, a former minister, was put on ventilator after his condition turned critical.
Sawai Singh, president of the Lok Sangharsh Morcha, said: “Chabbra wanted a Lokayukta which would also have the office of Chief Minister within its ambit and a State-wide ban on liquor.”
On April 1 last year, he started a fast and broke it on May 15 after a government representative promised him to concede the demands. However, as there was no action from the government, he started a fast on Gandhi Jayanti this year. On October 17, he was taken to the SMS Hospital here.
BJP Ministers Rajendra Singh Rathore and Arun Chaturvedi, who visited Chabbra’s residence after his death, had to face the anger of the people who alleged that the government was “indifferent” to a person fighting for social causes.
Mr. 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.
Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot blamed the government for the death.
Kavita Srivastava of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties said several organisations would take up the causes championed by Chabbra and there would be State-wide protests to sensitise the people to the need for a stronger and independent Lokayukta and a ban on liquor.
Chabbra was a Janata Dal MLA from 1977 to 1980. He later joined the BJP, but quit active politics in 1992. 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.
