BJP offered Bhaiyyuji cabinet post to prevent him from speaking about ‘illegal mining’, claims Digvijaya Singh

"He was worried about illegal mining in Narmada by Shivraj (Madhya Pradesh) govt and was offered the post of minister to shut his mouth. He rejected the offer and had told me about it on call," Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: June 13, 2018 01:13 AM IST

2 min read

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh (Source: Twitter/ANI)

Following the demise of Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has alleged that the spiritual guru was offered the post of minister of state by the Shivraj Singh-led BJP government in an attempt to prevent him from voicing his concerns regarding “illegal mining” in the state.

“He was worried about illegal mining in Narmada by Shivraj (Madhya Pradesh) govt and was offered the post of minister to shut his mouth. He rejected the offer and had told me about it on call,” Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.

Read | Bhaiyyuji Maharaj shoots himself to death, suicide note says he was depressed; Congress demands CBI probe

Bhaiyyuji Maharaj was found dead at his residence in Indore, where he allegedly shot himself and left a suicide note, which talked about stress and being fed up with life, but did not spell out a reason for the same. Police said Bhaiyyuji was rushed to Bombay Hospital in the city, where he was declared dead.

The 50-year-old was a former model and worked as a marketing executive before taking to preaching, a calling that gave him immense clout and a following cutting across political lines, mostly in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Also Read | Nitin Gadkari, Devendra Fadnavis condole spiritual guru Bhaiyyu Maharaj’s demise

Investigators have ruled out foul play. The Congress, however, demanded a high-level probe into the suicide. Party spokesman Manak Agarwal claimed that ever since Bhaiyyuji refused to accept the perks that came with a minister of state status given to him by the state government recently, people linked to the BJP had been putting pressure on him to work for the party.

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