‘Enjoying power after brother Ajit’s death’: Supriya Sule’s dig at NCP; Sunetra says don’t politicise grief

PUNE: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar on Thursday hit back at NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule’s criticism of the ruling NCP over the investigation into the death of her husband, former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, urging opposition leaders not to politicise the tragedy.Sunetra said the pain of losing Ajit Pawar could be understood only by his mother, children and herself, and urged those commenting on the matter to consider the family’s grief.“The void created in Maharashtra due to the loss of respected Ajit Dada is immense. Who can understand the pain better than his mother, his children and me? Therefore, do not politicise Ajit Dada’s accident,” she told reporters in Pune.Her remarks came a day after Supriya Sule accused the Ajit Pawar-led NCP of remaining silent on the demand for an FIR and a proper investigation into the plane crash that killed her cousin.“We lost a prominent member of our family… Have any of their 40 MLAs or eight-nine ministers ever uttered a single word demanding an FIR or a proper investigation into my brother’s death? Our brother is gone, and they are enjoying power,” Sule had said on Wednesday.Ajit Pawar and four others were killed when their plane crashed near Baramati airport in Pune district on January 28.Sunetra said the family had sought a concrete decision following the crash and had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in connection with the matter.“Everyone is aware of this. chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has given his word in the Assembly and is making every effort to honour it,” she said.She said she had full faith in the Constitution and the investigating agencies, adding that they should be given adequate time to complete their work.Sunetra also questioned the repeated discussion of the case in the media.“Constantly coming before the media does not necessarily mean that one is getting an update. There is a doubt whether a media trial is being conducted repeatedly,” she said.After the crash, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar had also demanded that an FIR be registered. Fadnavis had said in the Assembly that national and state agencies were conducting investigations into the crash.