Pankaja Munde's surprising defeat in the Lok Sabha elections had greatly upset party workers in Beed. A Munde supporter, Popat Waibhase ended his life by hanging himself on Tuesday. This is the second incident in Beed district and earlier on June 9, a youth from Ambajogai had also ended his life after Pankaja Munde's defeat. In the light of these tragic incidents, Munde has made a heartfelt request to her supporters.
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"My children, how can I work if you give up on your lives? I beg you with folded hands, please do not harm your lives." Pankaja Munde has shared the video of her appeal on her Twitter account. "I don't know what to say, I'm going to talk to all of you. I've appealed, but I don't think that appeal reaches beyond your grief and frustration. No one is as upset as I am with the young people who have committed suicide in the last few days."
Munde further says, "I spoke to the mother of the young man from Ahmadpur, who said, 'Sister, don't take tension, he had a lot of admiration for you. I can't find words for so much love. Maybe it's called unrequited love, which you have for me. You're putting a debt on me with every passing moment. In the last 20-22 years, you have seen me like Munde saheb... I've seen a strong leader like him get emotional, I've seen him get emotional, I've supported him."
"I was not big enough to support him. But I brought a sense of support because I didn't want him to feel that he had a sensitive daughter. (...) I am challenging, I am very strong, I never back down from fighting for him." She also talked about how she pulled herself together when her father, veteran politician Gopinath Munde passed away in 2014.
"The question is what to take the next step in politics"
Continuing her appeal, Munde said, "I gave you the oath of Munde saheb, you kept that oath. Whatever happened has upset you, but if you're going to go down a road like this... I wonder what the next step in politics will be if you're going to take that step rather than being my strength."
"There is no selfishness in my politics, my politics so far has been objective, when I got the post, I worked for the poor, when I did not, I took it with great humour. Moved forward positively. This is politics, there are times in politics. I know that in history so far, there has not been direct propaganda that directly portrayed an individual inferior to a person, class, or race and I know that has greatly troubled you", Munde said.
"Don't take your own life for granted"
"We want to be the voice of the underprivileged, in this struggle, we want to be an army that empowers them all. I will not run away with such life, children, I beg you with folded hands. I have come to you, but have difficulty lifting my foot. I have no words for comfort. I'm coming. Please you swear by me. I swear by saheb, but don't do anything for your own life", Pankaja Munde said in her appeal.