'Purely an accident': Sharad Pawar's first reaction on Ajit Pawar’s death in plane crash | Video
His reaction came after several political leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, Mallikarjun Kharge and Akhilesh Yadav, sought a probe into the mishap. In a video message, the former union minister expressed anguish over the incident, saying the state has suffered a significant loss.
In his first reaction on Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash in Baramati this morning, Sharad Pawar said the incident was purely an accident and politics should not be done on this issue. His reaction came after several political leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, Mallikarjun Kharge and Akhilesh Yadav, sought a probe into the mishap.
In a video message, the former union minister expressed anguish over the incident, saying the state has suffered a significant loss with the passing of such a dedicated and hardworking individual.
"The loss caused by this incident cannot be easily compensated," he said.
Pawar said he met Vinayakrao today and held discussions regarding the matter. However, he cautioned against the spread of false narratives, saying, "Some malicious forces are trying to portray this accident as politically motivated, which is not true."
He emphasised, "There is no politics involved here; it is purely an accident. The grief affects Maharashtra and all of us deeply. I appeal to everyone not to politicise this tragedy."
A small chartered aircraft carrying Ajit Pawar took off from Mumbai at around 8 am. About 45 minutes later, the plane crashed while attempting to land near Baramati airport. Besides Ajit Pawar, four other people were on board and no one survived the accident.
Mamata, Akhilesh seek probe
Reacting over the incident, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep pain and sought a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the incident. She said the incident raises several serious questions. Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav backed Mamata’s demand saying “similar such deaths of VIPs” happened in the past.
Ajit Pawar was Maharashtra’s longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister, though his terms were not continuous. He held the post six times under different state governments. During his political career, he served as Deputy Chief Minister in the administrations led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde.
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