Mumbai, March 25 Maharashtra NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Wednesday alleged a "premeditated" attempt by senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare to seize control of the NCP after the sudden death of Ajit Pawar by giving sweeping powers to its working president.
Speaking to reporters here, Rohit claimed that 18 days after the death of former deputy CM Ajit Pawar on January 28, Patel, Tatkare and another NCP leader Brijmohan Srivastava had written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) that the party constitution had been amended and sought that all powers be handed to the working president.
Patel is the national working president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which was headed by Ajit Pawar at the time of his death in an air crash.
However, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit, subsequently wrote to the poll panel asking it to disregard any such correspondence during the transition period (of her taking charge as NCP president) after her husband's demise, Rohit said at a press conference.
"Neither Sunetra Pawar nor (her elder son) Parth Pawar were taken into confidence. After becoming national president (of NCP), Sunetra Pawar appeared to have learnt of this, and wrote to the ECI requesting that any correspondence between January 28 and her assuming charge should not be considered," he claimed.
The Opposition MLA from Ahilyanagar district displayed the letters before the media.
Ajit Pawar himself had approved the arrangement where Patel, as working president, was authorised to communicate with the courts and the ECI, said an NCP leader, who did not wish to be named, claiming Rohit was trying to create confusion.
Meanwhile, state NCP president Sunil Tatkare, without taking Rohit's name, remarked that "certain meddlers should stop poking their noses into our party's affairs".
Tatkare alleged Ajit Pawar had faced "repeated conspiracies" over the past two decades and urged political opponents to refrain from continuing such actions even after his tragic death.
"Ajit Pawar had faced several conspiracies against him for the last couple of decades. He survived them and I have been a witness to it. They should stop doing it again even after Ajit Pawar's death,"
said the state NCP chief.
Responding to Rohit's allegations, the Lok Sabha MP said Ajit Pawar, who parted ways with his uncle Sharad Pawar in July 2023 and joined hands with the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine, was frequently targeted even when he was alive.
"I always supported Ajit Pawar like a shadow. He needed support and we contributed to it; that's why I am the target," he said.
Tatkare said he was aware of developments from the time Ajit Pawar's body was brought to the hospital till the last rites and cautioned against provoking him to speak on the matter.
"I urge them (rivals) not to force us to open our mouth over it," he said.
Calling for restraint, he added that there was a need to remain civil and move forward.
Without taking Rohit's name, Tatkare took a swipe at the NCP (SP) MLA, saying the person had once organised a rally that drew a very small crowd and appeared to be "restless" because of it.
Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash near Baramati airstrip in Pune district on January 28. He was heading the ruling NCP, while his uncle and former Union minister Sharad Pawar heads the Opposition NCP(SP).
Four days after his death, Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as deputy CM and was elected the new NCP president on February 26.
As per Rohit, Rajya Sabha MP Patel, Tatkare and Srivastava wrote to the ECI on February 16, "claiming falsely" that the party constitution had been amended, and sought that all powers be handed to the working president.
He cited documents dated March 10 and February 26, purportedly submitted to the ECI with signatures of Patel and Tatkare. These documents stated that in the absence of a national president, all authority would vest in the national working president, Rohit claimed.
Demanding a criminal investigation, the legislator asked whether the entire episode -- from the alleged letters to the ECI to attempts to control the party -- was part of a larger conspiracy.
The NCP (SP) MLA termed as "suspicious" the statements made by Union minister Piyush Goyal, who first said that Praful Patel had become NCP president, but clarified later his statement was based on incorrect information.
There had been a "premeditated plan" hatched by certain leaders to wrest control of the NCP, Rohit alleged.
Some BJP leaders also exerted pressure during this period to stall a proposed press conference by Ajit Pawar's younger son Jay, he claimed.
Rohit reiterated his allegation that some people were trying to "protect" VSR Ventures which operated the Learjet 45 aircraft that crashed with Ajit Pawar and four others on board.
The firm received Rs 80 to 90 crore (towards its services from the government) even after the accident, he claimed.
Referring to his recent meeting with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Rohit said he was advised to file his complaint in connection with Ajit Pawar's death in a state where he would get justice.
The MLA said he then got registered a 'zero FIR' at Bengaluru in Congress-ruled Karnataka.
Police can register a zero First Information Report when a crime has not taken place under their jurisdiction, and transfer it to the appropriate police station.
The NCP (SP) MLA claimed instructions had been given not to raise the Baramati air crash in the ongoing Budget session of the state legislature. As a result, most MLAs remained silent over the issue.
He alleged there were attempts to conduct "black magic" rituals outside Ajit Pawar's residence before his death, possibly involving a self-styled godman from Nashik who is now arrested in a rape case.