Mumbai, March 17 (IANS) The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) Legislator Rohit Pawar on Tuesday criticised Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu for his reply on the plane crash in which former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died.

In a post on X, Rohit Pawar wrote, “Well, What expectations can we have from the one, who attended the wedding of the son of the VSR company owner (with whom they have financial ties and accepted hospitality?)”

He further said, “The entire nation watched the Central Civil Aviation Minister’s hasty and evasive response on the sensitive issue of Ajitdada’s plane crash. The Minister, who claimed the investigation is underway transparently and as per international standards, said the black box burned (despite it being safe in the Baramati crash.) My simple question to you sir, why isn’t this information being provided to the American agency that’s seeking details on the Ahmedabad crash? They must provide answers to raised questions.”

Rohit Pawar, who had met a couple of opposition leaders with a plea to take up the issue of the plane crash, said, “However, I am confident that @INCIndia along with the #INDIA alliance will effectively raise this issue in the parliament!”

Earlier, Rohit Pawar demanded the Union Civil Aviation Minister’s resignation until the ongoing inquiry into the plane crash. He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for a deeper investigation into whether the incident was a genuine accident or a deliberate attempt on the leader’s life.

According to Rohit Pawar, visibility on the day of the accident was extremely poor, measuring only 3,000 meters. He claimed that the aircraft’s pilot, Captain Kapoor, had contacted the owner of VSR Ventures, V.K. Singh, whose aircraft carrying Ajit Pawar crashed in Baramati on January 28, to report that takeoff was impossible due to weather conditions.

“Captain Kapoor explicitly told V K Singh that visibility was poor and they could not take off. However, Singh allegedly ordered him to proceed, saying, ‘You take off, I will handle the rest later’,” Rohit Pawar claimed.

Pawar asserted that the Call Detail Records (CDR) of V.K. Singh would provide the necessary evidence of this conversation.

Highlighting the pilot’s state of mind, Pawar noted that medical reports confirmed Captain Kapoor had no traces of drugs, alcohol, or toxins in his system. “If the pilot was sober and professional, why did he take such a risk? We need to dig deeper into the pressure he was under. Why is V K Singh being shielded?” he questioned.

–IANS

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