38-Year-Old Rajasthan Man's Suicide Fosters A New Crisis For Ashok Gehlot

Involved in a land dispute with a hotel owner, the man hanged himself this week after recording a video message in which he blamed a Congress minister and some other people for pressuring him to vacate his property.

The suicide of a 38-year-old man in Jaipur has become a fresh political flashpoint in Rajasthan, where, months before elections, allegations of corruption have become a major headache for the ruling Congress with attacks not just from the opposition BJP but within as well.

Ram Prasad Meena, who was involved in a land dispute with a hotel owner, hanged himself on Monday after recording a video message in which he blamed a Congress minister, Mahesh Joshi, and some other people for pressuring him to vacate his property. Mr Meena had been living on a piece of land that belonged to a temple trust for more than a decade.

"I am going to commit suicide because of Cabinet Minister Mahesh Joshi and his associates. They have harassed me and my family so much that I have no option left," Mr Meena said in the video, which went viral on social media.

Mr Joshi, who is also the chief whip of the Congress party in the state assembly, denied any involvement in the case and said he was ready for any investigation. He accused the BJP of politicising the issue for electoral gains.