Bhopal: Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave, known for his missionary zeal for conservation of rivers died of cardiac arrest in New Delhi on Thursday morning.
He was 60 and a bachelor. Mr Dave was passionate about conservation of the river Narmada, considered a lifeline to Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, from his early days. He had founded the NGO ‘Narmada Samagra’ that worked towards the river’s conservation.
“He was so much in love with Narmada that he desired his last rites to be performed on its bank,” BJP spokesperson, Raneesh Agrawal, who had a long association with the suave politician, said quoting Dave’s will.
Do not erect a memorial when I die, but plant a tree if you loved and respected me, said Dave in his will.
Dave had authored eight books in Hindi and English which dwelt with environmental issues such as global warming.
Born at Barnagar in Ujjain district in MP on July 6, 1956, Mr Dave had completed his post-graduation in commerce in Gujarati College in Indore in MP and later joined RSS as pracharak.
He was credited with bringing back BJP to power in MP by defeating Congress, led by Digvijay Singh, in 2003 and helping the party retain power in state by winning successive elections since then.
His body was flown here from New Delhi on Thursday evening. “His last rites would be performed at Bandrabhan, on the banks of Narmada on Friday morning,” Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, said.
Leaders cutting across party lines on Thursday condoled the demise of Union minister and BJP leader Anil Madhav Dave, remembering him as a soft-spoken, honest person and a learned man.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was shocked over the “sudden demise of my friend and very respected colleague, environment minister Anil Madhav Dave ji”.
Shocked at his sudden demise, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said Dave was a soft spoken and gentle human being. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and Opposition leader M.K. Stalin also condoled the death of Dave.
The Union Cabinet passed a condolence resolution and observed a two-minute silence in the memory of environment minister. The National Flag was pulled down to half-mast on all government buildings in Delhi as a mark of respect for the environmental activist.
