Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Girija Vyas, who suffered burn injuries on March 31 while performing aarti at her home in Udaipur, died at a hospital in Ahmedabad, her family said on Thursday. She was 79.
Vyas’s brother Gopal Sharma said that she succumbed to burn injuries at the hospital Thursday evening. The Congress leader was performing aarti during which her dupatta caught fire from a burning lamp and suffered critical burn injuries. She was rushed to a private hospital in Udaipur where she was referred to Ahmedabad. Her funeral will be conducted in Udaipur on Friday, Sharma said.
Vyas was a prominent Congress leader who served as a minister in both the state and central governments. She was also the Pradesh Congress Committee chief. She also served as the chairperson of the National Commission for Women.
Reacting to the demise of the former union minister, Congress president said she served the country and the Congress party in many important capacities. “An intellectual politician… and an able administrator, her demise is an irreparable loss to the Congress family,” said Kharge.
“From becoming a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly at the age of just 25, she dedicated four decades to the Congress and public service in various constitutional and organisational roles,” the Congress chief said in a post on X.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said Vyas’s “contribution to the field of education, social justice and especially women empowerment has been extremely important”.
“Her departure is an irreparable loss to all of us. I express my deepest condolences to the families, supporters and well-wishers in this tragic moment,” he said in a social
media post.
