“Even political leaders are not safe in this country, let alone common people,” Banerjee said during a public speech, a video of which was shared by news agency PTI. Expressing shock over the tragedy, she said she was deeply saddened by the news.
Referring to recent political developments, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo claimed that just two days earlier, there had been statements suggesting Ajit Pawar was willing to leave the BJP-led ruling alliance in Maharashtra. “Now this has happened today,” she said, implying that the timing of the crash raised serious concerns.
Calling for judicial oversight, Banerjee said she had faith only in the Supreme Court. “We have trust only in the Supreme Court and no other agency. All central agencies have been completely compromised,” she added.
She further claimed that Pawar, who had split the Nationalist Congress Party in 2023, was expected to return to the party’s “original course” in the future, hinting at the possibility of reunification. “Today he was in the opposition, but tomorrow he was supposed to return to the original path of his party,” she said.
Banerjee, one of the leading opposition figures against the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, also extended condolences to Ajit Pawar’s family, the people of Maharashtra, and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar, Ajit’s uncle.
The incident comes at a politically sensitive time, with West Bengal heading towards assembly elections, where Banerjee’s TMC is set to face a strong challenge from the BJP.
Ajit Pawar was among five people killed when a chartered aircraft crashed in Baramati in Pune district on Wednesday morning. The jet, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, crash-landed at the Baramati airport. According to aviation regulator DGCA, there were five people on board, including crew members.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also called for an investigation into the crash, though he refrained from drawing any political linkage. “This has hurt everyone, including his family members, and we share their grief,” Kharge told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Responding to Banerjee’s demand for a Supreme Court-monitored probe, Kharge said that frequent air travel by political leaders made such incidents particularly concerning. “We have seen even big planes crash. This was a small plane—why this happened should be probed. We demand a probe,” he said.
Earlier, Kharge described Pawar’s death as “deeply shocking and profoundly distressing” in a post on X. Calling it an untimely loss, he said Ajit Pawar would be remembered as a seasoned politician who served the people of Maharashtra with sincerity and astuteness, and extended condolences to the Pawar family and supporters.
