Former Union minister Suryakanta Patil
Credit: X/@PatilSuryakanta
Nanded: Former Union minister Suryakanta Patil on Wednesday said she once told Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash, that she will come to meet him only when he becomes CM, but sadly that occasion will never come now.
Pawar (66) was killed when the aircraft carrying him crashed in Baramati town in his home district of Pune on Wednesday morning. The NCP leader had served as Deputy Chief Minister in different governments for a record 6 times over the last 25 years.
Patil said Pawar's sudden death came as a shock to her and termed it as a big loss for Maharashtra.
"The news of the tragic demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was hard for me to believe at first, but one has to accept the bitter truth of what has happened," she said.
"There can never be another leader like Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra. He was known for keeping a firm grip over officers, working tirelessly for party workers and always keeping his word. I have seen him grow from a young boy into a great leader," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
The former Union minister noted Pawar, who never hid his ambition to become CM, had a huge influence in today's politics.
"I once told him, 'You have become Deputy Chief Minister several times. I will come to meet you only when you become Chief Minister'. Unfortunately, that meeting will never take place," she said with her voice choked with emotions.