Hinting at a possible conspiracy angle in the death of NCP leader Ajit Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, called for a Supreme Court-monitored probe—a demand that was also backed by other opposition leaders.
Pawar was killed after an aircraft carrying him and a few others crashed near Baramati in Pune district on Wednesday morning.
Banerjee suggested that Ajit Pawar was planning to return to the Nationalist Congress Party faction NCP (SP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, noting that reports circulating in recent days had pointed to such a move. "I was truly shocked to see the news (of Ajit Pawar's death) this morning. It shows that there is no safety or security in this country, even for political leaders," the CM said.
"Even those who are a part of the ruling establishment today do not seem to be safe," she said.
Alleging that "all other agencies" have been "completely compromised", the WB M demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the death.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge backed her demand, saying, "Everyone, all leaders, keep travelling for urgent work. But in so many instances, we saw in Ahmedabad how a big plane crashed. This was a small plane; why did this happen? It should be probed. We also demand a probe."
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai described Pawar's demise as a great loss for Maharashtra and said, "There has to be an investigation because these kinds of incidents keep happening. Everybody is wondering why..." Desai said.
"On one hand, demand for chartered planes has increased, private planes are on the rise, but at the same time, incidents of technical glitches, or other reasons come forth after an accident, there has to be a thorough investigation...," he said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav cited similar incidents in the past and said Banerjee's demand was justified.
"He (Ajit Pawar) was a big leader, served as a deputy chief minister many times, and a popular leader of Maharashtra. She (Banerjee) must have made a justified demand... Earlier as well, many VIPs lost their lives in a similar manner, so there should be an impartial probe so it can be known what the reason for the accident was," Yadav said.
