'Gopinath Gad' to be set up in memory of late Gopinath Munde

Mumbai, Dec 12: On his birth anniversary today, late Gopinath Munde's family gathered at his native Beed district, to pay tributes to the late BJP leader and watch Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis laying the foundation stone for a memorial to the former Union minister.

Munde's eldest daughter, who is Maharashtra's Rural Development Minister, Pankaja Munde said, "Every year, people used to celebrate his birthday as if he was from their family".

"Gopinath Gad should be a place where people get inspired by Munde saheb. Every year, there will be a celebration at the Gad on December 12. There will be a mini-Vidhan Bhawan of sorts where people can hear his speeches," Pankaja said.

BJP MP and Munde's daughter Preetam said, "Had baba (father) been alive, he would have celebrated his birthday as Union minister.

Even today people have not stopped loving him," she said. BJP MLA Madhuri Misal was among those present at the foundation laying ceremony at Parli Vaijnath in Beed district.

Munde's youngest daughter Yashashree said, "Baba's samadhi (resting place) has become a place of worship for the people. People considered him a God," she said.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a chargesheet against Munde's driver Gurvinder Singh recently, in the Gopinath Munde accident case. The CBI had ruled out any foul play in the death of the former Union Minister in June, claiming that the politician had died due to injuries sustained in a road accident.

Munde (64), a popular backward class BJP leader from Maharashtra, was on his way to Indira Gandhi Airport on June 3, when his car was hit by another vehicle at the Prithviraj Road-Tughlak Road roundabout in the heart of the national capital. The Ministry of Home Affairs had recommended a CBI probe into Munde's death.

PTI