Political rift deepens over Ajit Pawar plane crash probe as Rohit Pawar targets NCP MLAs over 'self respect'

Mumbai: The political crossfire surrounding the probe into former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's fatal plane crash intensified on Friday, as Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar launched a sharp attack on the ruling MahaYuti government and targeted the 40 MLAs belonging to the rival NCP faction.

Questioning the political leverage and intent of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction within the MahaYuti coalition government, Rohit Pawar criticised their inability to secure a formal investigation despite writing to their own administration.

"40 MLAs from Ajit Pawar's party (NCP) had demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the crash, and they even had to send a reminder letter for it. It is unfortunate that even after sending a reminder to your own government, it gets thrown into the dustbin," the NCP-SP MLA said while addressing the media.

"If these people had any self-respect, they would have walked out of power immediately. Not everyone possesses self-respect; you have to struggle to maintain it, and that is precisely what we are doing."

The fresh barrage comes a day after current Deputy Chief Minister and NCP President Sunetra Pawar responded to concerns raised by NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule over the non-registration of a formal First Information Report (FIR).

Sunetra Pawar had cautioned against politicising the tragedy, saying that the Pawar family and the NCP-SP maintained "full faith in the investigating agencies".

Sule had earlier mounted a scathing attack on the state government over official apathy, contrasting the swift law-and-order actions taken against political leaders like Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena Chief Amit Thackeray, with the lack of progress in registering an FIR for her late brother's fatal crash.

Reiterating his family and personal ties to the late NCP leader Ajit Pawar, Rohit Pawar emphasised that his demand for a rigorous inquiry was rooted in both family duty and public interest.

NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar said, "I am a member of the Pawar family. My surname is Pawar, and the person who passed away was my uncle. As a nephew, it is my effort to see that justice is served to him.

"When a major leader of the state dies under such circumstances, millions of people across Maharashtra, including myself, want a proper investigation. Unfortunately, those in the (MahaYuti) government who called (Ajit Pawar) 'Dada' their friend have still failed to deliver justice."

He also accused the state administration of ignoring their repeated efforts to register a case locally.

"We visited three different places in the state to file an FIR regarding the accident, but no attention was paid to us," he alleged, warning that "if an FIR in this matter ends up being registered in Karnataka instead, the state (Maharashtra) government should feel ashamed".

While Rohit Pawar said that he postponed a scheduled press conference where he intended to present new evidence due to additional incoming details, his remarks underscore a growing verbal feud between the rival factions of the Pawar family and the MahaYuti coalition government.

With opposition leaders pledging to take the fight forward independently, the political manoeuvering over the investigation shows no signs of abating.

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