Drawing a parallel with the controversial death of Justice B.H. Loya, Raut questioned whether external factors were involved. “Did someone do something here?” he asked while speaking to news agency ANI.
Raut said that doubts were inevitable given Ajit Pawar’s stature in Maharashtra politics. “The manner in which a tall leader like Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash, and the facts that are now coming to light, demand an investigation. There is something suspicious here. Even people from Ajit dada’s own party are raising questions. Something happened behind the curtains,” he alleged.
The Sena (UBT) leader further claimed that Ajit Pawar was keen on reuniting the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party and had initiated talks with his uncle and party founder Sharad Pawar in the final phase of his life. According to Raut, this proposed reconciliation was opposed by certain individuals as it would have “shut their shops politically.”
Raut also alleged that Ajit Pawar had expressed his desire to “return home” politically, a move that unsettled some sections. He claimed Pawar had faced pressure over the irrigation (Sinchan) scam case just days before his death.
“Ajit dada had said he wanted to return home. After that, some people from the BJP threatened him with Sinchan scam files. Ajit Pawar responded strongly to those threats. Within ten days of that, he died mysteriously. What should we understand from this? This reminds us of Justice Loya,” Raut said.
However, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar urged restraint and appealed to people not to politicise the death of his nephew.
Ajit Pawar died last Wednesday when the aircraft he was travelling in crashed near Baramati. Days after the incident, the ruling Mahayuti alliance appointed his wife, Sunetra Pawar, as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed speculation about a possible merger of NCP factions, stating, “Ajit dada would have told us about it.”
Meanwhile, scenes of grief were witnessed at the NCP office in Mumbai, where Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth Pawar, broke down while holding his father’s chair.
