Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra), February 26 Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale said on Thursday that he did not believe there was a conspiracy behind the Baramati plane crash that claimed the life of then Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, but the CBI should investigate the incident.
"We demand that the inquiry into the plane crash should be conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has written to the Centre for this, and I will also follow up on it," the leader of the Republican Party of India told
"At the same time, I don't think there was any conspiracy behind this incident. Ajit Pawar was so strong that no one would try such a thing, and moreover he had no enmity (with anyone)," Athawale said.
He also said that action against VSR Ventures – which operated the ill-fated Learjet-45 plane that crashed at Baramati in Pune district on January 28 with Pawar and four others on board – should have been taken earlier.
"If an aircraft malfunctions, then the company should be banned. (But) I disagree with those who are saying that it was a planned crash," the Union minister said.
Athawale also stated that he will be re-elected to the Rajya Sabha with the BJP's support in the upcoming election to the seven vacant seats of the Upper House of Parliament from Maharashtra.
"Four seats will be contested by the BJP, and one of the four seats will be mine. If the opposition parties lack consensus, we can also contest and win the seventh seat," he said.
Talking about the panel system for municipal elections, Athawale said it was difficult for his party's candidates to win in this system, and he was going to ask chief minister Fadnavis to scrap panel elections.