Maharashtra: Rohit Pawar slams rival faction after Sunetra Pawar’s appointment

The political rift within the Nationalist Congress Party NCP deepened on Friday as a fresh war of words broke out between the two rival factions NCPSP MLA Rohit Pawar launched a sharp attack on senior leaders from the opposing camp saying those who believe they can control Sunetra Pawar have the wrong impressionA day after DCM Sunetra Pawar was appointed national president of the NCP Rohit drew a direct comparison between his uncle Ajit and his aunt SunetraFrom Left MLAs Devyani Pharande Monika Rajiv Rajale Namita Mundada Pankaja Munde Minister of Environment amp Climate Change Animal Husbandry Manisha Chaudhary Vidya Thakur Manda Mhatre Seema Hiray pose for a selfie in the Assembly premises at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Friday PicSayyed Sameer AbedilsquoStrong like AjitdadarsquoTaking a dig at senior leaders from Ajit Pawar camp Rohit said everyone knew it wasnrsquot possible to control Ajit However after his death he claimed three to four leaders appear to be trying to influence Sunetra ldquoSunetrakaki is a strong personality capable of running party on her own Those who are dreaming about controlling her will soon understand her leadership qualitiesrdquo Rohit saidFriction escalatesOn Thursday NCP leader Praful Patel said that others should not teach them how to manage and run the party His remarks were interpreted by many as an indirect reference to Rohit and a few other leaders from the NCPSP factionJan 28Day Dy CM Ajit Pawar died in Baramati plane crashAjitrsquos death led to frictionMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28 Even before his death there had been discussions about a possible merger between the two NCP factions After his death the issue turned into a fresh point of conflict between leaders of both camps While Sharad Pawar suggested that Ajit had expressed a desire to reunite the party leaders from the latterrsquos faction rejected the claimMore than capableOn Thursday after being elected national president of the NCP Sunetra Pawar said in her speech ldquoI spent 40 years of my life with Ajit Pawarrdquo Her remark was seen as a clear indication that she considers herself capable of handling party matters firmlyRohit Pawar meets Raj ThackerayNCPSP MLA Rohit Pawar met MNS chief Raj Thackeray in Mumbai on Friday to discuss concerns over the plane crash that killed Ajit Pawar on January 28 After the meeting at Shivaji Park Rohit said he shared his doubts about the incident and the investigation and claimed that the MNS chief assured him support saying the issue was about ldquojustice for a Marathi leaderrdquo According to media reports Raj is said to have asserted that Sunetra Pawar too should speak about the plane crash mishapDemand for deeper probeRohit Pawar has been demanding a deeper probe and an FIR against the aircraft operator mdash VSR Aviation mdash especially after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA grounded its planes However police have declined to file an FIR stating that the CID is already investigating the case as an accidental death Rohit argues that the matter now requires a broader probe into the company and other serious concerns Recently Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar too sought a CBI inquiry while Rohit has called for an investigation by Indian and international agencies under independent monitoring