Pune (Maharashtra) [India], January 28 : Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday urged people not to politicise the death of his nephew and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who lost his life in the fatal Baramati plane crash.
The veteran leader said that the plane crash was an accident and "politics should not be brought into this".
"This is a huge loss for Maharashtra. Maharashtra has lost a dynamic and decisive leader. Some people are saying there is some politics behind this, but it was an accident, and there is no politics involved. Politics should not be brought into this," Pawar said in a video message.
This comes after Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee hinted at foul play behind the plane crash and demanded the Supreme Court's probe into the incident.
In a post on X, Mamata Banerjee said, "Deeply shocked and stunned by the sudden demise of Ajit Pawar! The Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and his co-passengers have died in a disastrous plane crash at Baramati this morning, and I am feeling a deep sense of loss. My condolences to his family, including his uncle Sharad Pawar, and late Ajit's all friends and followers. The incident needs a proper investigation."
Supporting Mamata Banerjee, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, questioned the timing of the accident, claiming that Ajit Pawar had planned to leave the BJP a few days ago.
"The death of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is a very sad matter. Our supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has spoken about this. There should be a full investigation into this; it is our party's demand. A few days ago, there was news that Ajit Pawar was planning to leave the BJP and form an alliance with the opposition. At such a time, news of this accident has come. There should be an investigation into this," he said.
Moreover, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge called his death "premature" and the accident "unnatural". He demanded an investigation into the accident.
"We will demand an investigation into this accident. It is a very sad incident. Ajit Pawar died a premature death. The passing away of a hard-working man has shocked us all. We are with his family in this hour. An investigation must take place because the accident is unnatural. All the leaders and corporate people fly for urgent work. It was a small plane, so why did this happen? It should be investigated," Kharge stated.
Ajit Pawar, 66, died this morning after the aircraft carrying him crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district. The plane crash-landed near the runway threshold, killing all five people on board the chartered plane. Among the deceased were his personal security officer, a flight attendant and two pilots.
The crash occurred around 8.48 am, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau have dispatched probe teams to the site of the mishap to investigate.
Pawar was on his way to Baramati from Mumbai to campaign for the Zilla Panchayat elections.
Ajit Pawar was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra non-consecutively. He served in the position for six terms within various governments. He had worked as deputy chief minister in the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.
He is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.
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