Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Parth Pawar, son of late Ajit Pawar, sparked controversy after he traveled on an aircraft operated by VSR Aviation, the company involved in the Baramati air crash that killed his father.
Parth clarified that the booking was an administrative error, adding that the contract with the booking agent would be terminated immediately.
The elder son of Ajit Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Parth flew from Mumbai to Pune to attend a family gathering at his grand-uncle Sharad Pawar’s residence.
According to reports, Sharad Pawar had invited all the grand nephews and nephews to his Modi Baug residence in Pune on Tuesday evening for a family gathering.
As his action sparked a political storm, Parth came up with a clarification, saying that he had instructed his office to arrange an aircraft on an urgent basis as he needed to reach Pune .
“Until I reached the airport and boarded the aircraft, I had no knowledge that it belonged to VSR Aviation,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.
“I have taken serious note of the matter and have issued instructions to my staff and associates to remain vigilant to ensure such errors do not occur again,” he added.
The MP emphasised that his stance regarding VSR Aviation remains unchanged and described the controversy as “completely baseless, misleading, and unfortunate.”
A Learjet 45 operated by VSR Ventures crashed near the Baramati airstrip in Pune district on January 28, killing Ajit Pawar and four others.