Ahmedabad/Udaipur, May 1 – Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Girija Vyas passed away on Thursday at a private hospital in Ahmedabad, nearly a month after suffering severe burn injuries during a fire accident at her residence in Udaipur. She was 78.
Vyas had sustained 90% burns during a Gangaur puja celebration on April 2 and was later shifted to Ahmedabad for advanced treatment. Despite efforts, she succumbed to her injuries.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed deep sorrow over her death.
“The demise of former Union minister and former Congress state president Girija Vyas is an irreparable loss for all of us. She made significant contributions to education, politics and social service. Her untimely death in such a tragic incident is a big shock,” he said.
Girija Vyas began her political career as Udaipur district Congress chief in 1977. She went on to serve as a Rajasthan MLA and minister between 1985 and 1990. Elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991, she served as Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting in the PV Narasimha Rao government.
In 1993, she was appointed president of the All India Mahila Congress, and from 2005 to 2011, chaired the National Commission for Women.
Vyas later served as Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government from 2013 to 2014.
She was also associated with the Congress publication ‘Sadesh’ as its editor for many years.
Leaders across party lines have mourned her death, remembering her as a committed parliamentarian, a voice for women’s rights, and a respected intellectual in the Congress party.
