Rohit Pawar urges PM to sack Civil Aviation Minister, alleges conspiracy to ‘control’ air crash probe

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar alleged on Saturday that big businessmen and politicians are conspiring to delay as well as “control” the investigation into the January 28 air crash in which his late uncle and former Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar was killed in Baramati, Pune.

Two-term MLA Rohit Pawar, who is the nephew of NCP(SP) MP and the party’s working president Supriya Sule as well as the late NCP leader Ajit Pawar, stated that he has written a letter to PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging them to sack Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which is an alliance partner of the ruling BJP-led NDA.

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Rohit Pawar told media persons on Saturday that he had written a letter to PM Modi, a copy of which was marked to Union Home Minister Amit Shah as well, stating, “I urge you, PM Modi, to take immediate action regarding the case of Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu. Serious questions have been raised about the relationship between VSR Ventures—the company that owned the plane involved in the air crash—and his party. An independent and impartial agency should investigate these connections, and if necessary, international agencies should be involved. You have always respected Ajit Dada and his contributions to the country. Therefore, I request that Ram Mohan Naidu be asked to resign from his ministerial post until the investigation is complete. Given VSR Ventures’ direct links to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), there is concern that the investigation may not be conducted impartially and transparently. I request you to ensure that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) role in the VSR case is investigated thoroughly, without any compromise, pressure, or interference.”

“According to our information, some influential individuals from industry and politics are involved in the VSR case. The family members of a big leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have financial dealings with VSR Ventures, the air charter company. The DGCA, which functions under TDP’s Rammohan Naidu, is expected to conduct a transparent investigation into the air crash that killed Ajit Dada Pawar. Efforts are being made to save VSR Ventures. Big leaders from Maharashtra also have connections with VSR Ventures. Leaders from Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh are also included in it. If such big people are behind VSR, then Rahul Gandhi, as the Leader of the Opposition, should take the lead in this matter. I will reveal the names of the leaders from Maharashtra later,” Rohit Pawar said.

His statement came after Sharad Pawar-led NCP Lok Sabha MP and working president of the party, Supriya Sule, demanded high security for MLA Rohit Pawar on February 19, after he raised questions about the air crash in which the late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar was killed.

“Ajit Pawar was Rohit Pawar’s uncle. Rohit Pawar, along with several others, has concerns and uneasiness regarding this matter. Ajit Pawar-led NCP MLA Amol Mitkari has also raised questions. Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the Congress have also fully supported us. They have said that this issue should be discussed in Parliament and have even met the Speaker regarding this. There are many questions in the minds of the people, and they deserve answers. I only want to say that what has happened should not happen to anyone else. I expect the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to hold a press conference and provide answers to at least some of the questions raised by Rohit Pawar,” Supriya Sule had said.

Earlier on Saturday, Rohit Pawar said that there are doubts about the crashed aircraft’s black box, adding that there were a series of explosions on the aircraft and not merely a single explosion.

“Extra petrol cans were stored in the plane’s luggage compartment, which may have caused the fire. All aspects should be thoroughly investigated. If we talk about conspiracies, they could be of two types, namely political conspiracy and commercial conspiracy. We are trying to find out what type of conspiracy is involved in this case,” Rohit Pawar said at a press conference held in Delhi.

“There are serious questions about the air charter company VSR Ventures and its links with Rammohan Naidu’s party (TDP). These links must be investigated by an independent and competent authority, preferably in collaboration with international agencies,” Rohit Pawar said, referring to the letter he wrote to PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Speaking to media persons, Rohit Pawar said that Ajit Pawar-led NCP leader Sunil Tatkare, who derailed the merger to benefit the BJP and the Fadnavis government, was present at the meeting that finalised the merger of both the NCPs. “After the merger of the NCP, there was a plan to make MP Amol Kolhe the Maharashtra state president of the merged NCP. For Ajit Dada, it was not a political issue for both parties to come together but an emotional one,” Rohit Pawar said.