Former Gujarat minister killed in road accident in Amreli
Amreli (PTI): Former Gujarat agriculture minister Vallabhbhai Vaghasiya died after the car he was driving crashed into a bulldozer near Savarkundla town in Amreli district of the state, police said on Friday.
The accident took place on Thursday night, an official of Vanda police station said.
Vaghasiya, 69, a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Savarkundla assembly seat, had served as the agriculture and urban housing minister in the first term of the Vijay Rupani government.
He was returning to Savarkundla from a village when the accident occurred around 8.30 pm on a state highway near Vanda village. One person accompanying him in the vehicle sustained injuries, the police official said.
The former minister suffered injuries after the car he was driving rammed into a bulldozer. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead, the police said.
A large number of party leaders and his supporters gathered at the hospital after learning about the accident.
"Former MLA of Savarkundla seat and ex-minister V V Vaghasiya died in a road accident. The leader who worked as a skilled organiser and a mass leader, and served the people of Amreli is no more with us. We pray for his departed soul and strength to his family to bear the loss," said sitting BJP MLA from Savarkundla, Mahesh Kaswala.
Amreli MLA Kaushik Vekariya said that Vaghasiya will be remembered for his commitment to the welfare of the people of the region.
Vaghasiya had won the 2012 Assembly election as a BJP MLA from the Savarkundla seat, and was sworn in as a minister in the Vijay Rupani government in 2016.
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Laurene Powell Jobs faces health issues at Maha Kumbh, recovering after 'Ganga snan'
Mahakumbh Nagar (PTI): Overwhelmed by the huge crowds at the Maha Kumbh, Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, was briefly indisposed but is recovering after 'Ganga snan' and rest.
Her enthusiasm to learn about Sanatan Dharma remains strong, according to a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday.
The billionaire businesswoman-philanthropist has been given a new name, 'Kamla', by her guru Mahamandaleshwar Swami Kailashanand Giri of the Niranjani Akhara.
"Laurene was briefly unwell on Monday but is feeling better after 'Ganga Snan' and rest. Her enthusiasm to delve deeper into Sanatan Dharma remains strong," the government statement quoted Swami Kailashanand as saying.
Swami Kailashanand told PTI Videos that she faced some health issues due to the crowds.
He described his newest disciple as a "simple, virtuous, and humble" woman with a keen interest in Sanatan Dharma. "She is free from ego and fully devoted to her guru," he said.
"All her questions revolve around Sanatan Dharma and she finds great joy and satisfaction in the answers," he added.
Mahant Ravindra Puri, chief of Panchayati Akhara Shri Niranjani, told PTI that Laurene's quest for spirituality brought her to the Maha Kumbh.
"She has a new name here, Kamla. She is very simple, soft and bereft of ego and is here as she was inspired by the timeless sanatani culture," said Puri, who is also the president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex body of 13 monastic Hindu orders.
"Her quest for spirituality brought her here. The way she has conducted herself in the akhara makes it clear that despite being among the world's richest and most famous, she is sans all ego and does not show-off. Here she dresses simply and conducts herself gracefully," he added.
Barring a few short video clips of her that were shared by news outlets last week, Laurene has largely avoided the media at the world's largest religious gathering so far.
In the video clips that were shared online on Saturday, she is seen dressed in a peach-yellow salwar suit with a saffron stole and a Rudraksha necklace around her neck.
"She maintains a low profile. The day before yesterday (on Sunday), I asked her to come and sit on the dais during an event but she remained seated at the back," Puri said.
"She has come here to witness our ageless and timeless sanatani culture, the core of all consciousness. She is also here to meet the sentinels of the sanatani faith, the saints and seers," he said.
Puri, who is also the president of the Mansa Devi Mandir Trust, Haridwar, said Laurene has come to the Kumbh for the first time.
Asked how long she will be staying her, Puri said, "She came to our place, Niranjani Akahra, on Sunday and would be staying here for a few days."
