“Don’t give up on life” – this was BJP leader Pankaja Munde’s message to her supporters after four party workers died by suicide allegedly following her defeat in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections. She met with the family members of these workers and urged, “My workers are important to me. Please don’t take such a step, don’t leave your children and family”.
Ms Munde attended a condolence meeting yesterday held at the home of one of the activists who died by suicide. In photos shared by her on X, she was seen consoling the family members of Popatrao Vaibhase.
“Popatrao was an active worker who devoted himself to every task. Actually, a fighter. But, to leave his family by taking such an extreme decision will weaken me,” she wrote in a post in Marathi.
“I will continue to share the burden of their grief,” she said adding she would be “taking all the responsibility of their innocent children and families”. “But this responsibility is painful for me,” the former Maharashtra minister said.
माझा कार्यकर्ता स्व.पोपट वायभासे यांच्या कुटुंबियांची आज आष्टी तालुक्यातील चिंचेवाडी येथे सांत्वनपर भेट घेतली. पोपटराव प्रत्येक कार्यात स्वतःला झोकून देणारा सक्रिय कार्यकर्ता…खरतर लढाऊ वृतीचा, पण असा टोकाचा निर्णय घेऊन कुटुंबाला सोडून जाण मला कमकुवत करणार आहे.
आज पोपटराव… pic.twitter.com/fRU2h0RBQG
— Pankaja Gopinath Munde (@Pankajamunde) June 16, 2024
Encouraging the party workers, Ms Munde said, “We are certainly not weak enough to be depressed by a defeat, but this pain is unbearable for me. Don’t give up on your life. If you want a leader who fights with courage, I also want a worker who fights with courage. I don’t want to lose my people. I don’t get discouraged by defeat but such incidents shake me. I am very upset today.”
Popat Vaibhase was among four BJP supporters – Sachin Munde, Pandurang Sonawane and Ganesh Bade – who died by suicide after Ms Munde lost the Beed Lok Sabha seat to Bajrang Sonawane of NCP (Sharad Pawar).
Ms Munde also met with the family members of Ganesh Bade: “These events are painful to me. I request you all once again. My workers are important to me. Please don’t take such a step, don’t leave your children and family.’
आष्टी तालुक्यातील पोपटराव वायभासे यांच्या कुटुंबाच्या सांत्वन भेटीने स्तब्ध असताना शिरूर तालुक्यातील वारणी येथील गणेश बडे याने गळफास घेऊन जीवनयात्रा संपवल्याची धक्कादायक बातमी समजली. या घटना माझ्यासाठी वेदनादायी आहेत. गणेशच्या अंत्यविधीला उपस्थित राहून जड अंत:करणाने श्रद्धांजली… pic.twitter.com/ycB0bbZ9i7
— Pankaja Gopinath Munde (@Pankajamunde) June 16, 2024
The BJP suffered a setback in Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra on on June 4, with its tally dwindling by less than half compared to 2019, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) pocketed 30 of the 48 seats.
The BJP won nine seats, a far cry from the 23 it won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the state. Its ally Shiv Sena won seven seats.
