MVA attacks Centre over ‘vendetta politics’, BJP says Malik must resign

NCP chief Sharad Pawar hit out at the Union government, calling it another example of misuse of Central agencies.

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) strongly reacted to the arrest of minority affairs minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday in connection with a money-laundering case registered against Dawood Ibrahim and several members of his gang. While opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded Malik’s resignation, the ruling parties said it is out of the question.

Nawab Malik outside the ED office at Ballard Estate on Wednesday. Satish Bate/HT Photo

NCP chief Sharad Pawar hit out at the Union government, calling it another example of misuse of Central agencies. He said they knew his party colleague Malik would be harassed as he was speaking against the BJP-led Central government. Pawar pointed out that he also faced similar allegations of connection with Dawood in the past.

Pawar said there was nothing new in Malik’s questioning. “...Malik was speaking openly (against the Centre). We were sure that he was going to be harassed,” he said. “It is simple to link a Muslim (political) worker with Dawood. I also faced similar allegations when I was the chief minister. An environment was created (against me) which lasted for some 25 years. Link people with a name; harass and defame them by misusing power. The same is happening in this case.”

Leader of opposition and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis demanded Malik’s resignation. “The case is related to the terror funding in which Malik is an accused. His links with Dawood, who is an enemy of the nation, have been established. In such a scenario, he should be immediately sacked by the chief minister. We will expose this government on various fronts in the coming days,” he said.

The NCP, however, decided to stand by its minister and is determined not to take his resignation. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Pawar at his residence Silver Oak in south Mumbai. Congress ministers Balsaheb Thorat and Ashok Chavan were also present.

“Most of the senior ministers were of the opinion that Malik should not be forced to resign as he is being targeted. Punishing him without any fault will further encourage the BJP,” an NCP minister, who did not wish to be named, said.

Thorat described Malik’s arrest as vindictive and said he had discussed the situation with party’s state in-charge H.K. Patil.

“There is no reason for Malik’s resignation as the crime is yet to be proved. Recently, Union minister Narayan Rane was arrested but no one sought his resignation. So, Malik’s resignation is out of the question. He (Malik) has made no mistake. This is a deliberate attempt to trouble the MVA ministers. Malik is being punished for speaking against the Central government and the BJP and the injustice done by them,” Chhagan Bhujbal, food and civil supplies minister, told reporters at Varsha, CM Uddhav Thackeray’s official residence at Malabar Hill.

Bhujbal addressed the media after a meeting between Thackeray, Pawar, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, and other senior ministers from all the three parties.

In this meeting, the MVA decided to put on a show of strength by holding agitations against the BJP-led Central government. It will start on Thursday with senior ministers from the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress holding a protest at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue near Mantralaya.

“From Friday, the three parties have decided to launch statewide protests against the BJP and misuse of Central agencies. The agitations will be held in all the districts and cities,” Bhujbal said.

Party MP Supriya Sule said Malik was not given any notice or summons. “The way Nawab bhai was making revelations, I am not surprised over the ED action as we have been getting such threats through tweets and allegations. It is unfortunate to see that politics has come to this.”

The ruling partners too slammed the Central agency for taking the minister for questioning without a notice. ED officials brought Malik to the agency office on Wednesday morning. He was arrested after seven hours of questioning.

Malik has been a vocal critic of the BJP over the alleged misuse of Central agencies against the ministers in the Sena-led government and their families.

NCP workers gathered at Ballard Estate in south Mumbai where the ED office is situated and staged a protest. They raised slogans against the Central government and the ED and demanded Malik’s release.

Sena leader Sanjay Raut called the questioning a challenge to the state government. “...Malik has been continuously speaking against injustice and unmasking them. So, they are sending the ED after such people. Malik is a cabinet minister and ED officials picked him up for questioning...this is a challenge to Maharashtra. We are confident he will be back home by evening.”

Raut said the misuse of Central agencies will not last beyond the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. “(BJP leader) Kirit Somaiya has given files against some people who are in the BJP now. But no summons is sent to them.” Raut said they will file a complaint with the ED against the people who are now with the BJP.

Raut further said he will expose the officials of Central agencies allegedly shielding Rishi Agarwal, the promoter of ABG Shipyard, in connection with the ₹22,842 crore banking fraud case. “Who is Agarwal? There is some force behind all this in the government. In the coming days, I will expose all the officers, no matter what consequences I will have to face.”

He added that he will expose Central agencies and show how they are crumbling under the pressure of the ruling party to muzzle the opposition.

BJP leader Ram Kadam rejected the criticism and alleged that Malik purchased a land parcel from an aide of Dawood for peanuts. “[The plot] was about to be seized by the government. Despite this, the state government and the ruling party leaders are crying foul and calling it a vendetta. Why cannot an agency initiate action against such a deal with a gangster?”

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said the NCP can move court if it feels there is injustice. “If the MVA thinks that the action against its leaders is out of political vendetta, it is free to move court. If there is nothing wrong done by its leaders, why is it scared of action?”

The ED is investigating the alleged money-laundering activities of Dawood’s gang. It has registered a case on the basis of two first information reports against Kaskar and others. Kaskar has been accused of using Dawood’s name to extort money from builders. The ED recently raided at least 10 locations in Mumbai and neighbouring areas, including Haseena Parkar’s residence, in connection with the money-laundering case. It also questioned some businessmen last week.

On February 3, the National Investigation Agency registered a case against Dawood, who has been designated as a global terrorist.

State home minister Dilip Walse Patil, while reacting to the ED action against Malik, tweeted in Marathi, “The democratic values are being crushed owing to the misuse of Central agencies as political tools with the help of power at the Centre. We all his colleagues from the NCP are standing firm by Malik.”

Women and child development minister Yashomati Thakur charged the Central agency with attempts to topple the MVA government. “If the ED is in a hurry to form a government, then it should come to Shivaji Park. We all the 170 people (MLAs) will meet you in witness to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue. Let me add, the number of 170 may have increased more by the time you are done (with conspiracies). The unity of MVA will not be broken, on the contrary, it is getting stronger,” Thakur, who is also a Congress leader, said.

“The ED has taken action against Malik out of a sense of revenge. Malik was constantly raising his voice against the wrong policies of the Central government and exposing them,” said Nana Patole, president, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).

Patole added that this action was not a surprise as similar action had been taken by Central agencies against anyone who spoke out against the Union government. “This is the new modus operandi of the BJP government. Central investigating agencies are being misused to stifle dissent. We will collectively fight such acts of oppression by the power-drunk BJP government at the Centre. All this is being done to defame Maharashtra and to gain power in the state. But, the people of this state are watching everything and they will teach them a lesson.”

Fadnavis on November 10, 2021, alleged that Malik and his family had bought land parcels from people linked with the underworld. He said they had purchased the plot in Kurla from two persons — Saleem Ishaq Patel and Sardar Shah Wali Khan — using fictitious documents and by paying much lesser than the actual property rate.

The BJP leader claimed that the original value of the plot measuring around 2.80 acres was estimated to be ₹3 crore. “However, a company controlled by Malik’s family purchased this plot for merely ₹20 lakh. The property deal began in 2003 and was completed by 2007.”

The former chief minister further said that Malik’s son Faraz signed the agreement which was in the name of Solidus Investment Pvt Ltd. “Patel was working as the driver as well as the front man of Dawood’s sister Parkar in Mumbai. He was also given the power of attorney of several properties purchased by Parkar. In the suspicious Kurla land deal, Patel had the power of attorney of the plot and he signed the sale agreement which was purchased by Faraz.”

Patel was arrested in 2007 with Parkar in a land grabbing and fraud case. Khan is serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 bomb blasts masterminded by Dawood.