Mumbai, March 24 (NationPress) NCP-SP lawmaker Rohit Pawar fiercely criticized the Maharashtra government and the ruling MahaYuti coalition on Tuesday, alleging a systematic effort to obscure the facts surrounding the tragic demise of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash.

During a debate initiated on last week's motion brought by the Opposition, Rohit Pawar expressed profound disappointment that a leader of Ajit Pawar's caliber, who dedicated over 22 years to the state, has yet to see justice.

He accused NCP members aligned with Ajit Pawar of prioritizing their own ambitions for power and funds over honoring their late leader.

"Aside from NCP MLA Chetan Tupe, none of his party's members have raised their voices. These MLAs abandoned Sharad Pawar citing financial concerns, claiming they wished to serve the public under Ajit Dada's leadership. Now, when it comes to investigating his tragic death, they remain silent. Is political power more important than the man who made them MLAs?" Rohit Pawar questioned.

The NCP-SP leader condemned the state government for its alleged reluctance to file an FIR concerning Ajit Pawar's death.

Despite attempts to register a case at the Marine Drive Police Station, Baramati Police, and the CID, no action was taken.

In frustration over the state's inaction, Rohit Pawar traveled to Bangalore.

He compared the situation to a recent event where a 'Zero FIR' was filed in Karnataka regarding an insult to Justice Bhushan Gawai in Delhi, revealing that he successfully registered a Zero FIR for Ajit Pawar's accident at a police station in Bengaluru.

The Director General of Police in Karnataka, M.A. Saleem, has since transferred the FIR concerning the Ajit Pawar death case to Maharashtra's DGP Sadanand Vasant Date.

Rohit Pawar has now challenged the state government to take action.

He raised numerous concerns regarding VSR Aviation, the company responsible for operating the ill-fated aircraft carrying Ajit Pawar.

The NCP-SP legislator claimed that the aircraft provided to Ajit Pawar was in such poor condition that it "wouldn't even qualify as scrap."

He alleged that a 2023 tender for new aircraft was scrapped after the owner of VSR Aviation created chaos in the Ministry of Aviation due to his company's ineligibility stemming from a previous accident history.

"If new planes had been acquired, Ajit Dada would still be with us today," Rohit Pawar stated.

He also disclosed information regarding former Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's trip to Davos, claiming that the same company's aircraft nearly faced a missile strike in the Iran-Iraq airspace due to lack of proper flight permissions.

Addressing his appeal to current Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar (Ajit Pawar's widow), Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Rohit Pawar urged them to expedite the investigation into Ajit Pawar's death.

He pointed out that despite the Ajit Pawar-led NCP requesting a CBI inquiry 35 days ago, the central agency has yet to take action on the case.

The state Assembly witnessed intense political debates between the ruling MahaYuti and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi following these statements.

Opposition Leader Vijay Wadettiwar echoed Rohit Pawar's concerns, questioning how a fatal aviation incident could transpire without a primary FIR being filed.

NCP-SP lawmaker Jitendra Awhad further asserted that the government's refusal to register an FIR contravenes Supreme Court guidelines.

"If a leader (Ajit Pawar) who devoted 40 years to Maharashtra cannot have an FIR filed for his death, what hope can an ordinary citizen have?" Rohit Pawar concluded.