Sensitive, decisive & outspoken leader lost: Guv Haribhau Bagade

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: “Late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was a man of immense willpower. He left an impression of his extraordinary work through his sensitive mind, decisiveness and outspokenness. His ability to take firm decisions even in difficult situations was extraordinary. He had the habit of working hard since childhood due to his rural background. His habit of punctuality was striking. The State and the country have lost a multi-faceted leader,” said Haribhau Bagade, the Governor of Rajasthan.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28. An all-party condolence meeting was held at Deogiri College on Sunday evening to pay tribute to him.

District Guardian Minister Sanjay Shirsat said Ajit Pawar used to come to every place on time, be it the cabinet meeting or any other.

“After learning about the accident, his entire career came before my eyes like scenes from a movie. On that day, while going to Baramati, all the shops were closed from Nevasa. My mind still does not believe this,” he added.

OBC Welfare Minister Atul Save said, “My heart is overflowing while paying tribute to Ajit Pawar. I had once taken three projects to him. He immediately agreed to two of them.”

Minister Save also said that he (Ajit Pawar) had the courage to clearly say that the third project is under the Municipal Corporation.

MP Dr Kalyan Kale, MLA Abdul Sattar, National Women's Commission Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, Uddhav Sena leader Chandrakant Khaire, former Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve, industrialist Sunil Kirdak and Dr Uday Dongre also spoke.

Former legislator Kishore Patil made an introduction for the commencement of the programme. Tribute was paid to Ajit Pawar. MLC Satish Chavan, MLA Arjun Khotkar, MLC Sanjay Kenekar, former union Minister of State Jaysingrao Gaikwad Patil, former Minister Anil Patel, former MLC M M Shaikh, former Mayor Nandkumar Ghodele, Congress District President Kiran Patil Dongaonkar, NCP (Ajit Pawar) City President Abhijit Deshmukh, NCP (Sharad Pawar) District President Pandurang Tagde, City President Khwaja Sharfoddin and dignitaries from the fields of education, literature, social and industry were present.

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He had vision of work & attitude of taking everyone together

Ajit Pawar was a Minister of State in Vilasrao Deshmukh's cabinet in 1999. I had frequent contact with him for 15 years after this. He would reach the Mantralaya at 8 am. The meeting would start exactly on time. We would discuss the question directly. Decisions would be taken within a short time.

Many were against the audit of the strength of students of schools in the state, but Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Ajit Pawar strongly supported it. The issue of 8,500 teachers of Vastishala was also resolved because of them. After many years, schools received a non-teaching grant of Rs 203 crore in 2013.

When he was the Industries Minister in 2009, the funds of the Industries Department, about Rs 700 crore, were to be diverted to the Water Resources Department. But, he was told that funds were needed for other works, including land acquisition in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. He also agreed to this. His vision of work and the attitude of taking everyone along would be a true tribute to him.

(Rajendra Darda, former minister and Editor-in-Chief, Lokmat Group of Newspapers)