'Cruel irony of fate that his remains...': Fadnavis' emotional tribute to Ajit Pawar, remembers his legacy
Paying an emotional tribute to Pawar, who was popularly called 'Dada', Fadnavis said the late leader would often call him 'CM Saheb' when he was the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly in 2019. He said their friendship was 'beyond politics'.
Ajit Pawar, the longest-serving deputy chief minister of Maharashtra who lost his life in an unfortunate plane crash on Wednesday, was 'obsessed' with construction quality and he had personally supervised every brick of the Baramati Medical College, said Maharashtra Chief Devendra Fadnavis, expressing grief that the mortal remains of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were brought to the very same place.
Paying an emotional tribute to Pawar, who was popularly called 'Dada' (elder brother), Fadnavis said the late leader would often call him 'CM Saheb' when he was the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2019. He said their friendship was 'beyond politics' and they have had conversations during late night sessions. Once the serious business was over, the "real Dada would emerge: towering, open-hearted and carefree", he said.
"Dada was obsessed with construction quality. He personally supervised every brick of the Baramati Medical College," Fadnavis said in an editorial in LokMat. "It is a cruel irony of fate that his mortal remains were brought to that very college... Destiny is cruel. Dada, you were a man who was never late, who never missed a deadline. But this time, you missed the timing. This grief will remain forever that you took such an untimely exit."
Fadnavis said Ajit was a "tall leader with an immense grasp of work". The deputy chief minister was a 'yes' or 'no' style leader and he detested the "we'll see approach", Fadnavis said, adding that his "bluntness sometimes hurt people momentarily, but it built long-term trust". He further said that Ajit's sense of humour was unmatched and he could 'take a wicket' with a witty remark in the middle of the most serious discussion.
"Leaders with true vision are rare, and Dada was one of them. I experienced firsthand what it means to be a leader who stands by his word. Dada taught us that no matter the crisis, your word has value, and sometimes, you must be prepared to pay the price for it. We had recently started a new political inning together, and I believed it would be a long one, but Dada took a premature exit," he said.
"Our beloved Ajit Dada was gone. I have lost a close, powerful and generous friend," Fadnavis said, remembering Ajit and paying tribute to him.
Ajit and four others lost their lives when the chartered plane in which they were travelling crashed in Pune district's Baramati on Wednesday. On Thursday, he was cremated with full state honours at the Vidya Pratishthan college ground in Baramati. His funeral was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president Nitin Nabin, Fadnavis and other leaders.