BJP to corner MVA over Nawab Malik’s resignation this budget session

Both BJP and MVA are preparing for a showdown with the BJP alleging constitutional crisis since the ruling parties are “shielding a minister accused of links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.”

Mumbai The budget session of the state legislature slated to begin on Thursday is expected to be stormy as the opposition BJP is aggressive over the sacking of state minister Nawab Malik after he was arrested in a money laundering case last week, while the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government has insisted that there was no need for his resignation.

Ajit Pawar pointed out similar instances in West Bengal saying there are ministers who have been jailed but still continue to be in the cabinet (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

Both sides are preparing for a showdown with the BJP alleging constitutional crisis since the ruling parties are “shielding a minister accused of links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.”

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who addressed the press conference instead of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who did not physically attend the customary tea party on the eve of the budget session, said that the government was all set to debate the issues raised by the opposition.

“The resignations of two ministers Anil Deshmukh and Sanjay Rathod in the past by MVA were for different reasons. The action taken against Malik has been in different circumstances. Chief minister Thackeray has decided to not take the resignation. He said that there is no need to sack Malik as of now. The hearing on the petition filed by Malik in the high court is due on Thursday. Further course of action will be decided on the situation prevailing from time to time,” Pawar said.

He pointed out similar instances in West Bengal saying there are ministers who have been jailed but still continue to be in the cabinet. “Similarly in few other states in the past, there were instances of ministers continuing to be in the cabinet despite their arrest,” he said. In a veiled threat that the MVA government could take action in cases against BJP leaders, Pawar said the state government was scrutinising the documents submitted by Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and the action in them will be taken at an appropriate time.

“We do not want the action to backfire. After all, we too have the experience of running the government for a few decades and know when and how to take action,” he said.

State minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last week for his alleged involvement in a money laundering case.

On the other hand, the leader of opposition in legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said that the government should sack Malik, whose links with gangster Dawood Ibrahim have been established. He also said that the opposition will corner the government over various issues including law and order, corruption, and the plight of the farmers.

“We will also expose the government by making some sensational revelation. The government has failed on various fronts. It has been shielding its minister even after his links in the terror funding has been established. The farmers have not been given the compensation assured for their losses in the downpour, the illicit liquor producers, and the sand mining mafia are shielded. We are interested in having debates in the interest of people, but there cannot be any compromise on the security of the country. The state government should sack Malik immediately,” he said.

The opposition is also likely to corner the ruling MVA government over the cases against ministers and the leaders from the ruling parties. Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil has claimed that the state government would not last for long and there could be change seen in the state leadership in March. BJP leader Kirit Soniya has been claiming that a few more leaders from the ruling parties will face imprisonment in the next few days.

Opposition after its meeting on Wednesday afternoon announced to boycott the customary tea party by the state government on the eve of the budget session.

Political analyst Hemant Desai said that the budget session is going to be stormy amid various developments. “In the last budget, opposition BJP and leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis had an upper edge by exposing the MVA government over Antilia explosive scare, Sachin Vaze and Mansukh Hiren cases. But this time, the attack and counter-attack will be from both sides. To retaliate against the action on ministers and ruling party leaders, the MVA, too, has visibly decided to fight back strongly. They have started lodging complaints against BJP leaders like Kirit Somaiya, Narayan and Nitesh Rane. All these issues will be raked up in the budget session,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pawar said that the report of the three-member committee appointed to study the merger of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation in government will be tabled in the state legislature on Thursday.