'Please Don't Politicise': Sharad Pawar In 1st Statement After Nephew Ajit Pawar's Death

Baramati: Former Maharashtra CM and NCP (SP) MP Sharad Pawar has issued his first public statement after the death of his nephew Ajit Pawar. Amid allegations of foul play, Sharad Pawar requested people to not politicise the issue.

He said, “Some people have suggested that there is a political motive behind this incident. However, there is no politics involved; it was simply a tragic accident." He added, "Maharashtra has suffered a huge loss with the passing of Ajit Pawar. A capable leader has left us today...This loss can never be compensated. I just want to say, please don't politicise this." 

This comes after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hinted at foul play in the fatal crash. “Just a few days ago, I came to know from social networks that somebody from another party had given a statement that Ajit Pawar was willing to leave the BJP,” Banerjee said.

Calling for an independent and transparent probe, Banerjee said only the Supreme Court could be trusted to oversee the investigation. “Now, what happened today? I need a proper investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court. Only we have trust in the Supreme Court; no other agency,” she said.

Alleging that investigative agencies had lost their independence, Banerjee stated, “All the agencies are being totally purchased. And really, it is a great loss for the country."

Ajit Pawar, the 66-year-old Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, died when his plane crashed on Wednesday morning. The aircraft, a Learjet 45 operated by a private aviation firm, was on a scheduled flight from Mumbai to Baramati when it met with the accident during the landing phase. Ajit Pawar was travelling to Baramati for official engagements.

The aircraft was carrying five people, including Ajit Pawar, his Personal Security Officer, Vidip Jadhav, aircraft attendant Pinky Mali, pilot Captain Sumit Kapur and co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak.

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