It is all known that Maharashtra’s Deputy CM Ajit Pawar passed away this morning at 8:30 AM in a deadly plane crash at Baramati. Along with the Deputy CM even the pilot and three other members also died in this accident and left the whole country go shocked. This incident created a void space in Maharashtra’s government as Ajit was one of the main pillars of the government.
Most of the central ministers, political leaders and Bollywood celebs expressed their shock through social media and now Raj Thackeray too expressed his shock and penned a lengthy note on social media reminiscing his bond with Ajit Pawar…
His post reads, “Ajit Pawar and I entered politics around the same period, although our acquaintance came much later. But it was his intense love for politics that enabled Ajit Pawar to make a remarkable leap in Maharashtra’s political landscape. Though he was a leader nurtured in Pawar Saheb’s political school, he later carved out an independent identity for himself. And he firmly established that identity across every corner of Maharashtra.
In the 1990s, urbanisation gained momentum in Maharashtra. Rural areas began transitioning towards semi-urban spaces. Yet, the nature of politics there remained rural, even though the issues themselves were increasingly urban in nature. Ajit Pawar had a complete grasp of this kind of politics and possessed the skill to handle it effectively. Pimpri-Chinchwad and Baramati stand as two prime examples. Whether it was Pimpri-Chinchwad or Baramati, even his political opponents would acknowledge the transformation Ajit Dada brought to these regions.
He was a leader with precise command over administration and had an exact understanding of where to untangle the knot when resolving complex files. At a time when administration often tends to dominate those in power, Maharashtra losing such a leader is extremely unfortunate.
Ajit Pawar was exceptionally straightforward. If a task was not possible, he said so directly; and if it was achievable, he put in his full strength to make it happen. He was not someone who gathered people around him by making hollow promises. One has to pay a price for bluntness and straightforwardness in politics. I have experienced this myself, and hence, one can imagine how much Ajit Pawar too must have paid for it.
Another quality of Ajit Pawar that I deeply admired was that he was never casteist, and caste had absolutely no place in his politics. In today’s political climate, leaders who have the courage to rise above caste considerations are becoming increasingly rare, and Ajit Pawar was certainly among the foremost of them.
Political opposition is political in nature; it is not personal. The understanding that harsh criticism should not be taken personally is something that is steadily disappearing among leaders in Maharashtra. The loss of such large-hearted political opponents, one after another, is a major setback to Maharashtra’s rich political tradition.
My family and I stand with the Pawar family in their time of grief. On behalf of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, I offer my heartfelt tribute to Ajit Pawar. Raj Thackeray“.
RIP Ajit Pawar ji…
