Congress chief Kharge demands probe into Ajit Pawar plane crash
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said there should be a probe into the air crash in which Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others were killed.
Pawar was among the five killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Maharashtra's Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The Learjet 46, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, crash-landed at the Baramati airport. There were five people on board, including the crew members, according to aviation regulator DGCA.
Kharge said Pawar's death was untimely and he was someone who worked for the people.
ALSO READ: Visibility was poor when plane carrying Ajit Pawar crashed: Aviation minister
"This has hurt everyone, including his family members, and we share their grief and pray that they can bear this loss," the Congress chief told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Asked about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanding a Supreme Court-monitored probe into Pawar's death in the plane crash, Kharge said there should be a probe as it was an accident.
"Everyone, all leaders, keep travelling for urgent work. But so many instances, we saw in Ahmedabad how a big plane crashed. This was a small plane, why this happened? It should be probed. We demand a probe," he said.
Earlier, in a post on X, the Congress chief said the news of Pawar's tragic death in the plane crash was deeply shocking and profoundly distressing.
"It is an untimely loss of a leader who had a long and promising political career ahead. No words can adequately express the immense grief that the bereaved family must be enduring during this difficult hour. I extend my deepest condolences to the entire Pawar family, his supporters and well-wishers," he said.
"Having served the people of Maharashtra in various constitutional capacities, Shri Ajit Pawar shall be remembered as a seasoned politician who discharged his responsibilities towards his people with sincerity and astuteness. May his soul rest in peace," Kharge said.
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Trouble ‘Miyas’ everywhere only then they will leave Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Says “Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP are openly against them, we are saying it openly
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
