Ajit Pawar's death: Shinde says he has lost 'elder brother'; plane crash will be probed
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday described the death of his fellow Deputy CM Ajit Pawar as sad and unfortunate and said the aircraft accident that claimed his life will be probed.
Speaking to reporters, Shinde said that with Pawar's demise, he has lost his "elder brother" who not only served as his colleague in different cabinets but was also his deputy when he helmed the government from 2022 to 2024.
"It is a very painful incident...very sad and unfortunate for Maharashtra. The aircraft accident will be probed," the former chief minister said.
"This loss is not just of the Pawar family but of the entire state. I am feeling as if I have lost my elder brother," Shinde added, while describing it as a "dark day" for Maharashtra.
Pawar, 66, and four other persons were killed after the aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Shinde said Pawar had a pure mind and was a very straightforward, fearless leader, with a grip on administration.
He recalled how Pawar, as the then finance minister, made fiscal arrangements when his government (in 2024) decided to roll out the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 to women in the state.
"We (Shinde, Pawar and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis) worked as a team," Shinde said, highlighting that their bond went far beyond political titles.
"He was older than me in experience and age. Today, we have lost a visionary, outspoken and studious leader. He was not only my colleague, but a very dear friend. This untimely demise is a shock to my soul," the Shiv Sena leader said.
Shinde recalled how Pawar managed the state's treasury without letting development work stall.
Despite it being a three-party coalition government, Shinde emphasised that Pawar ensured the administration functioned as a single, united unit.
He remembered Pawar's "sharp and on-the-spot" decision-making and his quality of time management.
"Rather than dreamy presentations and mere rhetoric, he would examine practical matters. Whenever a concept came up, he would force everyone to think: how long would it last, and who would it benefit?" Shinde noted.
While Pawar was a strict disciplinarian who never broke the framework of etiquette, his "clear, soft humour and poignant jokes" were loved by everyone in the legislative assembly, he pointed out.
Shinde said Pawar was known to mentor juniors not by correcting their mistakes, but by teaching them how to prevent those mistakes from happening in the first place. He insisted that people's representatives study the long-term impact of their decisions on the lives of common citizens, the Sena leader added.
VIDEO | Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde expresses grief and condolences over the demise of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in an aircraft crash.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 28, 2026
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Assam: RSS files police complaints against Kharge for 'derogatory' remarks at poll rally
Guwahati (PTI): The RSS on Wednesday said it has filed complaints at two police stations in Assam against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly comparing the ideology of the organisation and the BJP with a 'poisonous snake' at an election rally.
The complaints were filed to seek legal action over alleged ''derogatory, provocative, and communally sensitive statements made during a recent election rally in south Assam, a RSS spokesman said
In the complaints, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh alleged that the Congress chief had made controversial remarks during an election rally in Nilambazar under the Karimganj South assembly constituency in Sribhumi district.
"If a poisonous snake is moving in front of you while you are offering namaz, you must stop the prayer and rush to kill the poisonous snake first - that is what the Quran prescribes you to do. I tell you that the RSS and BJP are like that same poisonous snake,” Kharge was quoted as saying in the complaints.
The RSS expressed serious concern, claiming that such remarks were "inflammatory in nature and capable of inciting hostility, intimidation, and violence against workers and supporters of the RSS and the BJP".
The complaints pointed out that the statement constitutes a ''corrupt electoral practice under Section 83 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the remarks criminally intimidated the public and promoted enmity between supporters of different political and social groups''.
Describing the ideology of RSS and BJP as “poisonous” and calling for their elimination could encourage "bodily harm against members and supporters of these organisations", the complaints said.
Kharge's remarks attempt to promote ''communal division between Hindu and Muslim communities, potentially disturbing public peace and harmony in Assam and influencing the electoral environment", the RSS said.
The complainants also claimed that such statements might lead to communal tensions or clashes if not addressed promptly by authorities.
The complaints were filed by RSS' North Assam secretary Khagen Saikia at Dispur Police Station and South Assam's secretary Jyotsnamoy Chakraborty at Silchar PS.
The BJP had also filed complaints on the same allegations at the Basishta Police Station here and with the Election Commission on Tuesday.
