Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday called his grand-nephew Parth Pawar “immature” and said his words are not to be taken seriously after the latter demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, PTI reported. Rajput was found dead in his apartment in Bandra on June 14, in what the Mumbai Police said was a case of suicide.

“We attach absolutely no importance to what my grand-nephew says,” Pawar told reporters after a meeting with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. “He is immature...I have clearly said that I have 100% trust in the Maharashtra Police and Mumbai Police. But if someone still wants a CBI probe into it, then there is no reason to oppose that too.”

Parth Pawar, who lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Maval constituency to Shiv Sena, is the eldest son of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. On July 27, he met Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and asked for a CBI probe. However, his position differed from the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition government’s stand, in which NCP is one of the partners along with the Shiv Sena and the Congress. They have expressed confidence in the investigation being done by the Mumbai Police.

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar said he does not want to respond to the allegations being levelled against the state government in the matter. “We feel sad if any person commits suicide,” the 79-year-old leader added. “But I feel a bit surprised at the way it is being discussed [in the media].”

The NCP chief said a farmer in Satara district also expressed surprise on how Rajput’s death is being discussed. “He [the farmer] said 20 farmers committed suicide in Satara, but it was not even noted by media,” Pawar said. “So, I know what are the sentiments of the common people.”

The CBI took over the inquiry into Rajput’s death last week as the Centre accepted the Bihar government’s recommendation to involve the investigation agency in the case.

The Mumbai and Patna police have repeatedly traded allegations in the case. Their discord intensified over the quarantining of Indian Police Service officer Vinay Tiwari, who was sent to Mumbai from Bihar to investigate Rajput’s death.