Leader of opposition of the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha and veteran Congress leader Jamuna Devi (81), affectionately known as buaji, passed away at a private hospital in Indore on Friday morning.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has expressed grief at the veteran Congress leader’s demise, calling her a true leader of tribals, women and all oppressed classes.
Not many people that know that Jamuna Devi started her career as a socialist under the mentorship of veteran socialist leader Baleshwar Dayal, also known as mamaji.
Widely known and respected as an outspoken political leader, she later joined the Congress and went on to become the first deputy chief minister of the state in 1998 under the Digvijay Singh led Congress government.
She had been the leader of opposition in the state assembly since 2003.
So much was her dedication to the cause of tribals that after her fiery speech at a forest rights act rally in 2007, some forest officials had accused her of encouraging Naxalism in the state.
Ms. Devi represented the state in the Lok Sabha from Jhabua and was also a Rajya Sabha MP from 1978-81.
State Congress president Suresh Pachauri termed Ms. Devi’s demise as a personal and organizational loss, calling her a guardian of congress workers in the state.
