Last rites of Girija Vyas performed in Udaipur; Gehlot pays tribute
Udaipur: The funeral of former Union minister and senior Congress leader Girija Vyas took place in Udaipur Friday. Her nephew, Vivek Sharma, performed the last rites at Ashok Nagar Mokshdham following Vedic traditions, with 104 hymns recited.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Earlier, the funeral procession saw the participation of several politicians from Congress and BJP, including former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who shouldered the bier. Vyas passed away Thursday around 7.15pm at Zydus Hospital in Ahmedabad. Her body was brought to Udaipur late at night and kept at her residence in Daityamagra for final respects Friday.
On March 31, Dr Vyas was performing Gangaur puja at home when her scarf caught fire from a lamp.
A worker at her home managed to help her, and she was taken to a private hospital in Udaipur. She was later referred to Ahmedabad, where her condition worsened due to 90% burns. Her brother, Gopal Sharma, mentioned that her health was initially improving but deteriorated again two days before her death on May 1.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter expressing her grief at the death. "I am shocked due to the sudden demise of Girija Vyas after a month-long treatment following the fire tragedy happened with her.
Her passing away is a loss for the Congress party, literature fraternity. Her contribution in social, political and education field will be remembered. My condolences to the bereaved family," Gandhi said in her letter.
Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on X termed the death "extremely sad." "An intellectual politician, an influential orator and an able administrator, her demise is an irreparable loss to the Congress family," he said.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Vyas became an MLA in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly at the age of just 25. She remained a part of the Congress for the next four decades. She would have completed 79 in July.
Former Speaker of the Assembly and senior Congress leader CP Joshi visited Vyas's home to offer floral tributes and comfort her brother. Former Congress Working Committee member and ex-MP from Udaipur, Raghuveer Singh Meena, along with his wife, former Salumbar MLA Basanti Meena, also paid their respects.
Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Tika Ram Jully participated in a meeting held ahead of the funeral procession. Udaipur BJP MP Mannalal Rawat visited Vyas's home to pay his last respects and placed flowers. Dr Rawat expressed that her passing is a significant loss to the political arena.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
29 minutes ago
- News18
Bihar Elections: Alliance On Track, NDA Seat Finalisation Soon; Nitish Kumar To Be CM Face
Last Updated: According to sources, ticket distribution in the Bihar assembly elections within the NDA is likely to follow the same formula as in the Lok Sabha elections The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has decided to contest all seats in the upcoming Bihar elections, with sources saying seat distribution may not have been decided yet but other factors have been considered. 'Which caste will get representation on which seat has already been decided for all the 243 seats," a top source told CNN-News18. The state leaders have held several rounds of meetings to understand the share of seats that the NDA wants to contest. Another two or three rounds of meetings are expected to take place before the focus shifts to the finalisation in Delhi. After that, a detailed meeting with the alliance partners will take place to firm up plans for all the 243 seats. Also, there is no doubt in the mind of the alliance that Nitish Kumar will continue to be the face of the bloc. The decision to continue as chief minister after the elections will be left to Kumar, the sources added. On the kind of commentary that political leaders have been making against Kumar's conduct, BJP sources indicated: 'Any sensitive and sensible politician will never make a remark on somebody's health… One should always refrain from commenting on the health of seniors." Alliance partners Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Upendra Kushwaha will contest in the state. Paswan had expressed his wish to contest the assembly polls, pushing forward his 'Bihari first' stance, and his party gave the go-ahead in a recent meeting. According to sources, ticket distribution in the Bihar assembly elections within the NDA is likely to follow the same formula as in the Lok Sabha elections. In the Lok Sabha elections, BJP contested 17 seats, JD(U) 16, LJP five, while Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha contested one seat each. Although BJP contested one more seat than JD(U) in the Lok Sabha polls, in the assembly elections, JD(U) may contest on one or two more seats than BJP. As per sources, JD(U) may contest around 102–103 out of the 243 seats, while BJP may contest on 101–102 seats. The remaining roughly 40 seats will be allotted to Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). The BJP has decided that it will not award a ticket to a candidate whose feedback is negative in the last two surveys that the party has done. Seat sharing and seat allocation will also be done on the basis of ability to win. 'Any alliance partner who has lost the seat more than twice may be exchanged with the other alliance partner," the top sources added. Earlier, it was speculated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would go to Bihar on June 15 but his visit stands postponed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to travel to Bihar on June 20 for an engagement in Siwan. The Election Commission has indicated that the Bihar assembly polls will take place in either two or three phases. The full bench of the EC, including chief election commissioner Ganesh Kumar, is expected to travel to Bihar this month. First Published: June 10, 2025, 13:09 IST
Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Concerning precedent continues': Kharge urges PM Modi to begin process to elect Lok Sabha deputy speaker
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urgently initiate the process of electing a deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha, underlining the ongoing delay in the matter despite constitutional provisions for it. In a letter to PM Modi, Kharge pointed out that each Lok Sabha, from the first to the sixteenth, had seen the appointment of a deputy speaker in both Houses of Parliament, adding that it had also been a 'well-established convention' to appoint the person from among the members of the principal Opposition party. 'However, for the first time in independent India's history, this position has remained vacant for two consecutive Lok Sabha terms. No Deputy Speaker was elected during the Seventeenth Lok Sabha and this concerning precedent continues in the ongoing Eighteenth Lok Sabha,' Kharge pointed out. Terming it a highly concerning matter, Kharge underlined that Article 93 of the Constitution mandates the election of both the speaker and the deputy speaker of the House of the people. Constitutionally, he added, the deputy speaker is the second-highest presiding officer of the House after the speaker, with Article 93 of the Constitution providing for an appointment to the post. My letter to PM Shri @narendramodi on the urgency to initiate the process of electing a Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha without any further delay. From the First to the Sixteenth Lok Sabha, every House has had a Deputy Speaker. By and large, it has been a well-established… — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 10, 2025 'The House of the People shall, as soon as may be, choose two members of the House to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker thereof and, so often as the office of Speaker or Deputy Speaker becomes vacant, the House shall choose another member to be Speaker or Deputy Speaker, as the case may be,' Kharge said, quoting the provisions under the section. With regard to the election of the deputy speaker, he added, Article 93 stipulates that the House shall choose one 'as soon as may be'. He added that traditionally, the deputy speaker has been elected in the second or third session of a newly constituted Lok Sabha. 'The procedure for this election mirrors that of the Speaker, with the only distinction being that the date for the Deputy Speaker's election is fixed by the Speaker, as per Rule 8(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha,' Kharge said. A vacancy on the post did 'not augur well for India's democratic polity and is also in violation of well laid out provisions of the Constitution', Kharge added, urging PM Modi to initiate the process without any further delay, keeping with the traditions of the House and the democratic ethos of Parliament. Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. Over the last 15 years, he has covered bureaucracy & politics, crime, traffic & intelligence, the Election Commission of India & Urban Development among other beats. He is an English (Literature) graduate from Zakir Husain Delhi College, DU & specialised in Print at the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. He tweets @jatinpaul ... Read More
Hans India
31 minutes ago
- Hans India
Post vacant for two LS terms: Kharge writes to PM Modi, seeks Dy Speaker election
New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to initiate the election process for the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, noting that the post has remained vacant for two consecutive terms -- a first in Independent India's parliamentary history. Sharing his letter on X, Kharge highlighted that Article 93 of the Constitution mandates the election of both a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha. He said the failure to fill the post during the 17th Lok Sabha and its continued vacancy in the 18th term "does not augur well for India's democratic polity" and also violates constitutional principles and undermines democratic tradition. "From the First to the Sixteenth Lok Sabha, every House has had a Deputy Speaker. By and large, it has been a well-established convention to appoint the Deputy Speaker from among the members of the principal opposition party," Kharge wrote, calling the current situation a "concerning precedent". In his letter, Kharge stressed: "The Deputy Speaker is the second-highest presiding officer of the House. This position remaining vacant weakens the democratic structure and is also against the well-laid-out provisions of the Constitution." He quoted Article 93, which states, "The House of the People shall, as soon as may be, choose two members to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker... and so often as the office becomes vacant, the House shall choose another member." Kharge also referred to Rule 8(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, which gives the Speaker the power to fix the date for the Deputy Speaker's election. The last person to hold the Deputy Speaker post was M. Thambi Durai of the AIADMK, who served during the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-2019). Calling on the Prime Minister to act without further delay, Kharge urged: "In view of the foregoing and in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the House and the democratic ethos of our Parliament, I request you to initiate the process of electing a Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha." The Deputy Speaker plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth conduct of business in the absence of the Speaker, with equal authority to manage debates, maintain order, and decide on procedural matters.
