MUMBAI: Reacting to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s letter to Ajit Pawar opposing Nawab Malik sitting on a Treasury bench seat, Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule on Saturday accused the Maharashtra government of insulting Nawab Malik and the Nationalist Congress Party.
“Nawab Malik has made his career with a lot of hard work; this government is insulting him and the Nationalist Party,” Supriya Sule said.
Further, Sule said, “Devendra Fadnavis has not provided any clarification on drugs since day one, leading to suspicions that he is protecting influential people. Nawab Malik has exposed the drug issue. Devendra has not taken any action against drugs, but his insults towards the Nationalist Party and Nawab Malik are unacceptable. My allegation is that the Bharatiya Janata Party is against Maharashtra.”
“Yesterday, I observed a press conference where Bhujbal lodged a complaint against Fadnavis, indicating a lack of coordination and policy paralysis. Fadnavis and the BJP have committed the sin of troubling Nawab Malik. Their overconfidence stems from winning in three states,” Sule added.
Meanwhile, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has raised the question whether it was done based on Malik’s religion after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote to NCP rival faction chief and fellow Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, opposing Nawab Malik’s induction into the ruling alliance in the state.
Chavan also questioned the need for Fadnavis to communicate his opposition through a widely circulated letter on social media instead of directly conveying it to NCP leader Ajit Pawar.
“It can be understood that Devendra Fadnavis has the complete right to decide whether Nawab Malik should be taken into the cabinet but couldn’t he convey this small piece of information to Ajit Pawar directly? But you (Devendra Fadnavis) wrote a letter, and it was circulated nationwide through social media. Was this done because of Nawab Malik’s religion?” said Chavan.
“Allegations against Nawab Malik have not been proven yet. But still, he has not got a fair chance to prove his stand, as it is not known whether the allegations are true or not,” he added.
Fadnavis on Thursday wrote to his cabinet colleague and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, expressing opposition to the induction of Malik in the ruling ‘Maha Yuti’ or grand alliance in the state.
“Given that he is an accused (in a money laundering case), we are of the opinion that it would not be proper to induct him into the ruling alliance. Power comes and goes but the country is paramount,” Fadnavis had said.
“We agree that it is your prerogative (to decide) who should be inducted into your party. But every constituent (in the Maha Yuti) has to think as to whether it would harm the alliance,” Fadnavis said, adding, “Hence, we are opposed to this.”
Earlier, NCP leader Ajit Pawar responded and said he would present his point after Nawab Malik made his stand official.
“I received Fadnavis’ letter. First, I will present my point after coming to know what the official stand of Nawab Malik is. I do not decide who sits where in the Assembly, the speaker makes that decision,” said Ajit Pawar.
Malik is currently out on medical bail after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in February 2022 in a money-laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.
Malik was a cabinet minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government at the time of his arrest. Malik attended the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Assembly here for the first time since his bail on Thursday.
He sat on the last bench in the assembly, next to the MLAs of the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party. (ANI)