Union Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde died in a road accident in Delhi on Tuesday morning when he was on his way to the airport. Munde was rushed to the AIIMS trauma centre after the accident where he was declared dead. AIIMS spokesperson said that there was no breathing, no pulse, no cardiac function when Munde was brought in.
He is survived by his wife and three daughters, and will be cremated on Wednesday at his native village Parli in Maharashtra's Beed district. His family members have come to New Delhi from Mumbai.
The accident took place when the 64-year-old Munde was on his way to the Indira Gandhi International airport to fly to Mumbai. It took place when Munde's car was moving from Lodhi Road towards the Aurobindo Chowk.
Munde's Maruti SX4 car was reportedly hit by a Tata Indica, which jumped a red light, at around 6:20 AM at Prithviraj Road-Tughlak Road roundabout. The driver of the Indica has been arrested.
Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said Munde was declared dead at AIIMS. "There was no breathing, no pulse, no cardiac function when Mr Munde was brought to the hospital. Despite efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 7.20 am," said AIIMS spokesperson Dr Amit Gupta.
A driver and Munde's security guard, who were with Munde in his car at the time of the accident, are reportedly safe.
Gadkari said that there are reports that Munde suffered a heart attack after the accident that lead to his death but the party is waiting for the post-mortem to know the exact cause of his death. Gadkari also said that Munde suffered several head injuries.
"Munde's body will be taken to the party headquarters at 12.30 pm on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been informed about the accident," Gadkari added.
Expressing grief over Munde's tragic death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted. "Extremely saddened & shocked by the demise of my friend & colleague Gopinath Munde ji. His demise is a major loss for the Nation & the Govt. Gopinath Munde ji was a true mass leader. Hailing from backward sections of society, he rose to great heights & tirelessly served people. My tributes to a dynamic leader whose premature demise leaves a void hard to fill. Condolences to Munde ji's family. We stand by them in this hour of grief."
The national flag will be flown at half mast in Delhi, state capitals and Union Territories on Tuesday as a mark of respect to Munde.
Munde had a victory rally scheduled in Beed and Parali. He had won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from the Beed constituency. He was the Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation.
Gopinath Munde was the brother-in-law of the late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan. He had married Mahajan's younger sister. After Mahajan's death, Munde was the guardian of the Mahajan family. Munde was a very big OBC leader from Maharashtra. He was very accessible and had a huge following. He wanted to reform and modernize the Rural development ministry.
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