Porbandar, 3 December 2012

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today in his speech alleged that Congress leaders are responsible for sudden death of Junagadh district Congress president Lilabhai Khunti.

“Your political games killed this person. He was so shocked due to the mandate snatching incident that he died of sadness and shock,” Modi said adding that no noble person could bear such a shock.

“I clearly allege that, Congress is responsible for Khunti’s death. Cheating is in Congress’s blood, and due to that a healthy district president died,” Modi further said.

Junagadh district Congress president Lilabhai Khunti died of a cardiac arrest on Sunday. The 62-year-old politician had made headlines recently when the mandate of Visavadar Congress candidate Ratilal Mangrolia had been snatched from his hands by a 12-year-old boy.

His associates said that Khunti complained of chest pain around 6 am. He was rushed to a private hospital where he died soon after his arrival. Khunti belonged to Mer community and was associated with co-operative sector in Junagadh. He was a former member of Junagadh district panchayat.

On November 24, in a high voltage drama in Visavadar, the nomination Mangrolia was rejected after he failed to produce the party mandate in time. Mangrolia and Khunti had gone to hand over the mandate at sub-divisional magistrate’s office when a boy had emerged from the mob to snatch the mandate from Khunti’s hands.

Former chief minister and GPP president Keshubhai Patel is contesting from Visavadar. With Mangrolia’s form rejected, Patel is now in direct fight with BJP’s Kanu Bhalala.