The suicide of a 38-year-old man in Jaipur has become a fresh political flashpoint in Rajasthan, where, months before elections, allegations of corruption have become a major headache for the ruling Congress with attacks not just from the opposition BJP but within as well.
Ram Prasad Meena, who was involved in a land dispute with a hotel owner, hanged himself on Monday after recording a video message in which he blamed a Congress minister, Mahesh Joshi, and some other people for pressuring him to vacate his property. Mr Meena had been living on a piece of land that belonged to a temple trust for more than a decade.
"I am going to commit suicide because of Cabinet Minister Mahesh Joshi and his associates. They have harassed me and my family so much that I have no option left," Mr Meena said in the video, which went viral on social media.
Mr Joshi, who is also the chief whip of the Congress party in the state assembly, denied any involvement in the case and said he was ready for any investigation. He accused the BJP of politicising the issue for electoral gains.
The BJP has seized on the incident to attack the Congress government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The BJP leaders have demanded Mr Joshi's resignation and a high-level inquiry into the matter.
The BJP's Rajya Sabha member Kirori Lal Meena, who belongs to the same community as the victim, has been staging a sit-in protest at the site where Mr Meena's body was found. He has refused to allow the cremation of the body until his demands are met.
In a major embarrassment for the Congress, its former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who has all but revived an all-out rebellion against Mr Gehlot, also visited the protest site on Thursday and expressed solidarity with Mr Meena's family. He called for a fair and impartial investigation into the case.
Another Congress lawmaker, Murari Lal Meena, also joined Mr Pilot and Mr Kirori Lal Meena at the site and demanded justice for the victim.
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