Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Bhaskar Jadhav revealed the reason NCP founder Sharad Pawar chose to deliberately downplay the late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s air crash as “an accident” immediately after the tragic incident, during his condolence address at the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly here on Monday.
“Not a single person in Maharashtra is willing to believe that Ajit Pawar’s plane crash was a simple accident and everybody strongly suspects that it was not an accident but a deliberate act. Being an experienced political veteran, Sharad Pawar could read the anger among the people in Baramati and he wanted to ensure that their rage would not get transformed into an unstoppable wildfire or inferno. Therefore, Sharad Pawar chose to deliberately say that it was merely an accident and there is no conspiracy behind it at all,” Bhaskar Jadhav said.
“On that day, I saw the scene in Baramati. The attention of the entire state of Maharashtra was drawn towards Baramati. Everybody in Maharashtra was burning with resentment and anger in their hearts. They were openly saying if the accident simply happened or was it deliberately staged. Sharad Pawar could read the explosive mood among people and he knew exactly what statement to make,” Uddhav Sena leader Bhaskar Jadhav said, recalling the tragic day.
“An experienced man like Sharad Pawar knew what statement to make at what time. He had a piece of written paper in his hand. His head was down and he said only one sentence, ‘This is not a conspiracy, this is an accident.’ Why did he say that? He knew that even if a single spark of hate would have fallen on Baramati, entire Maharashtra would have been ablaze and exploded. No government however strong would have been able to control the flames. Therefore, in hindsight, I feel Sharad Pawar’s statement on that day was appropriate,” Uddhav Sena leader Bhaskar Jadhav revealed on the floor of the house.
“I never commented on the incident so far, but I think it is appropriate to comment on it today. Therefore, the position taken by Rohit Pawar and Sharad Pawar is not inconsistent at all. MLA Rohit Pawar is fighting for an investigation into the air crash, while Sharad Pawar, on the other hand, called it an accident. That was not a discrepancy. I am raising this issue so that something like this never happens again. Therefore, nobody should take it for granted that Rohit Pawar and Sharad Pawar speak very differently,” Bhaskar Jadhav said.
“Even now, there are strong suspicions in the minds of Maharashtrians about Ajit Pawar’s air crash. The general public is not willing to believe that Ajit Dada merely had an accident. Your mind and my mind are also not ready to believe this. It seems there has been a conspiracy somewhere. Therefore, investigate through CBI, CID or DGCA. Whatever really happened must get revealed after the investigation,” Bhaskar Jadhav told the Legislative Assembly.
“Ajit Dada was the support of the entire Maharashtra. Everyone felt that Dada was their support, regardless of their party, caste and religious affiliations. If anybody wanted to get work done, they thought of going to Dada. So common and needy people felt he was their Ajit Dada. Today, idealism in politics has collapsed in Maharashtra. The Brahma Kamal flower blooms only at night, but in Maharashtra politics, our Brahma Kamal called Ajit Dada used to shine brightly even at daytime. But that blooming Brahma Kamal withered away all of a sudden, which is not only a loss for the Pawar family or their party, but also a loss for the entire Maharashtra. Today, I don’t have the courage to look Sunetra Pawar in the eye,” Bhaskar Jadhav said.