A Congress Seva Dal member died after collapsing in the middle of Bharat Jodo Yatra in the Nanded district of Maharashtra on Tuesday, senior leader Jairam Ramesh informed through Twitter. Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the 3,570km-long foot-march, paid tributes to Seva Dal general secretary Krishna Kumar Pandey, saying he held the national flag till the very last moment.
"His dedication towards the country will be a source of inspiration," Gandhi said, while extending condolences to Pandey's family.
Pandey was walking with senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and others when he felt shortness of breath and uneasiness, a district official told PTI.
Pandey was then taken in an ambulance to a primary health facility where doctors declared him dead. The deceased was a resident of Nagpur. The body was later taken to Naygaon rural hospital for post-mortem.
Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh shared the unfortunate news on Twitter.
"This 62nd morning of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Krishna Kumar Pandey, General Secretary of Seva Dal was holding the national flag and walking with @digvijaya_28 & me. After a few minutes, as is the practice, he handed the flag to a colleague and moved back. Thereafter he collapsed...," he tweeted.
"He was a staunch Congressman and used to take on the RSS in Nagpur. It is a most humbling moment for all the Yatris," the former Union minister further said.
"The Yatris, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee and @RahulGandhi paid last respects to Krishna Kumar Pandey this afternoon at the Yatra halt site in Atkali village in Nanded district," Ramesh said in another tweet.
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan also extended his condolences to Pandey's family and said that the party had indeed lost a staunch and loyal warrior.
The Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra arrived in Maharashtra on Monday night and entered its 62nd day on Tuesday.