Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash on Wednesday in Baramati, had previously recounted a tense moment during a helicopter ride with prominent state leaders.
The incident took place in July 2024, when Pawar was travelling from Nagpur to Gadchiroli with then Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Industries Minister Uday Samant for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a steel company, PTI reported.
Addressing the public function in Gadchiroli, Pawar had said, “When we started from Nagpur in the helicopter, it was fine at first. But later, when the helicopter entered the clouds, I looked this way and that way – there were clouds everywhere. And our Devendra Fadnavis was just sitting there, casually chatting.”
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“I told him (Fadnavis) – ‘Look outside, we can’t see anything, no trees, no ground, nothing. We are flying blindly through the clouds. Where are we even going?’ But he calmly replied – ‘Don’t worry at all. I have experienced six such incidents so far. Whenever I am in a helicopter or a plane and an accident occurs, nothing happens to me. So, nothing will happen to you either.”
‘Had a sinking feeling in my stomach’
“I thought to myself – ‘My goodness, what is he saying? I already had a sinking feeling in my stomach! Today is Ashadhi Ekadashi (a holy day), so I was constantly chanting ‘ anduranga, Panduranga’ (God’s name) in my mind. And here was this ‘Maharaj’ (Fadnavis) giving me advice,” he said.
Pawar also said that as Fadnavis told him not to worry, he remained completely relaxed and nothing bad really happened.
“It is the good deeds of his (Fadnavis) elders that we reached here (safely)…Those good deeds helped us,” he said.
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‘Chanted God’s name’
Pawar said that he calmed down, chanting the name of the deity Panduranga in his mind, and remained composed until the ground came back into view.
He also recalled that Samant, who was sitting beside him, pointed out when the ground became visible, prompting Pawar to express relief.
Pawar, aged 66, was killed along with four others. The helicopter had attempted to land twice before it crashed and burst into flames. |
