Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday weighed in on the ongoing talks over the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) leadership change following the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut is seen addressing a rally in Thane. (Praful Gangurde/HT Photo)A day after Pawar’s death, several NCP leaders called for a minister of state for Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, including a demand to make her the deputy chief minister.
Reacting to the ongoing discussion, Raut said it was inhumane to talk about leadership issues at this point, adding that Sunetra Pawar’s eyes were “still watering”.
“It is inhuman to talk about the (leadership) issue. If anyone has raised this issue, they have zero humanity. Be it a minister or an MLA. The woman (Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra) has lost her husband. Her (Sunetra Pawar’s) eyes are still burning,” Raut told reporters.
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Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash at Baramati Airport on Wednesday. A day later he was cremated with full state honors at the Vidya Pratishthan College grounds, about 100 km from Pune city, in the presence of prominent politicians and thousands of people.
Raut also asserted that if the BJP has any love for Ajit Pawar, it should withdraw it ₹70,000 crore scam allegations linked to irrigation department.
“The BJP should unconditionally withdraw the complaint,” said the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader.
NCP is mulling a bigger role for Sunetra PawarSenior NCP leader Narhari Jirwal indicated that Ajith’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, could be considered for a role in the state cabinet, reflecting what she described as growing public sentiment.
Speaking to reporters after Pawar’s funeral, Jirwal said that people had expressed their desire to see Sunetra take on a larger public role.
Also read: Ajit Pawar: A career of resilience, controversy and power
“When we were travelling, many people told us that ‘Bahini’ should be mainstreamed. We will put this vision before the party leadership and take a decision accordingly,” he said.
Sunetra Pawar, who lost the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Baramati, is currently a Rajya Sabha MP. Ajit Pawar was the MLA of Baramati Assembly Constituency.
A group of NCP MLAs is planning to meet him with the request in the next few days. After Ajith’s funeral, NCP working president Praful Patel and senior minister Chhagan Bhujbal held a closed-door meeting with Sunetra, intensifying speculation about him being chosen as the next NCP president.
Meanwhile, NCP merger was also discussed. Senior NCP (SP) leaders also met Sunetra at his residence, leading to speculation that talks could resume, as a merger would be beneficial for both parties.
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