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Environment Minister and BJP strategist Anil Dave passes away; PM Modi calls it a personal loss

Absolutely shocked by the sudden demise of my friend & a very respected colleague, said PM Modi

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Environment Minister Anil Dave, a long-time RSS member best known for crafting the BJP strategy to unseat Congress stalwart Digvijay Singh as Madhya Pradesh chief minister in 2003, died on Thursday. He was 60.

Dave had complained of uneasiness at his home and was rushed to AIIMS where he had passed away.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and said that he was shocked with Dave's sudden demise with whom he was discussing key policy issues till late evening on Wednesday.

"Absolutely shocked by the sudden demise of my friend & a very respected colleague, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave ji. My condolences," Modi said in a series of tweets.

"Anil Madhav Dave ji will be remembered as a devoted public servant. He was tremendously passionate towards conserving the environment," Modi added.

This demise is a personal loss, the Prime Minister added.

In July 2016, Dave had taken over the charge of the Ministry from Prakash Javadekar.

The two-time Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh was known in BJP as a man gifted with immaculate organisational skills.

Born on July 6, 1956, Dave was involved in social work right from his early days and had founded an NGO "Narmada Samagra" for conservation of the river. 

He shot into prominence in 2003 when he crafted the strategy leading to defeat of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh.

A post-graduate in Commerce from Gujarati College in Indore, Dave had keen interest in literature and has penned a number of books.

President Pranab Mukherjee expressed shock at the sudden demise of the minister.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he was saddened to learn of the demise of the minister.

"Dave was very active and sensitive to issues pertaining to environment. His dedication to work was highly appreciated. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the members of Anil Dave's family," Singh said.

BJP president Amit Shah said Dave's contribution to Indian politics and environment conservation was incredible.

"Shocked and deeply pained by the sudden demise of our senior leader Anil Madhav Dave ji. Deepest condolences to his family & friends.

"His organisational skills and connect with grassroots karyakartas (workers) was unparallelled. He always met me with a warm smile on his face," he said in a series of tweets.

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