Rajasthan’s Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Bhanwarlal Meghwal died at a private hospital in Gurugram on Monday after prolonged illness. He was being treated on ventilator since May 13, when he had suffered a paralytic stroke and was diagnosed with brain haemorrhage. He was 71.
Earlier admitted at the Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital in Jaipur and battling for life, Mr. Meghwal was airlifted to the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on the advice of doctors. He was a senior Minister in the Ashok Gehlot government and a prominent Dalit face of the ruling Congress.
Mr. Meghwal represented Churu district’s Sujangarh constituency in the Assembly and also held the Disaster Management and Relief portfolio. He was Education Minister in the previous Congress government between 2008 and 2013.
Mr. Meghwal had entered politics after resigning as a physical training instructor in a government school. In his political career spanning 40 years, he was elected a member of the Assembly five times.
Governor Kalraj Mishra and Mr. Gehlot mourned Mr. Meghwal’s death. Mr. Gehlot said he and Mr. Meghwal had been together since 1980. A day’s State mourning was declared for Tuesday, when the national flag will fly at half mast and all government offices will remain closed.
The ruling Congress also postponed its training workshop scheduled for Tuesday for the party workers for the upcoming zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections in 21 districts.
