Nawab Malik picks Ajit faction; Fadnavis says he is not welcome

Former minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik made a surprise appearance on the first day of the assembly session in Nagpur on Thursday and then went on to sit on the treasury benches, ending days of speculation over his political loyalty and making his intention clear that he had chosen Ajit Pawar over Sharad Pawar

Former minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik made a surprise appearance on the first day of the assembly session in Nagpur on Thursday and then went on to sit on the treasury benches, ending days of speculation over his political loyalty and making his intention clear that he had chosen Ajit Pawar over Sharad Pawar.

Nawab Malik picks Ajit faction; Fadnavis says he is not welcome

To be sure, treasury benches are reserved for MLAs from the ruling alliance of which Ajit faction of NCP is part.

The unexpected turn of events, considering Malik had kept everyone, particularly the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, guessing ever since he got out on bail in a money laundering case, did not only rattle the opposition but also BJP.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who fended off the opposition attack in the council, made his objection to Malik’s inclusion in the ruling alliance public later in the day.

In a letter addressed to deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and which he posted on X (formerly Twitter), he said: “Today, former minister and MLA Nawab Malik participated in the proceedings of the assembly. As a member of the assembly, he has the right to do so. We do not have any personal enmity with him but considering the allegations against him we think it will not be appropriate to include him in Mahayuti alliance.”

“As of now Nawab Malik is just out of jail on bail. If he comes out free from the allegations, you can definitely welcome him. It’s totally your prerogative to decide who should be in your party. But at the same time, it is important and the duty of every partner in the alliance to see that the decision should not harm the Mahayuti. So, we oppose the inclusion of Malik,” he said.

Leading the offensive, leader of the opposition in the council, Ambadas Danve, questioned the appropriateness of a former minister, previously accused of links with terrorist Dawood Ibrahim by BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, sitting among ruling coalition members in the lower house.

Responding to the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, Fadnavis said they had demanded Malik’s resignation when evidence of his “terrorist” links emerged and asked why the accused minister was not removed during their tenure (of Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi). He also accused the Uddhav Thackeray-led government of inaction, contending that the opposition lacked the moral authority to preach.

Following the controversy, state president of Ajit faction and MP, Sunil Tatkare, clarified that it is but obvious that Malik will meet his old colleagues in the legislature.

“Nawab Malik is our senior colleague in party. We met him after he came out on bail on health issues and inquired about his health. There was no political discussion with him. Malik after long time participated in legislature work so it is but obvious that he met old party colleagues,” he said in a post on X.

The open letter has, however, not gone down well with Ajit camp.

Expressing his displeasure, NCP MLC Amol Mitkari said if BJP and Fadnavis had any objection, they could have conveyed this to Ajit in person.

“Instead, Fadnavis chose to write a letter and circulated it on social media. I think this is not the way when you work in an alliance. Following criticism over the presence of Malik in the assembly, Fadnavis wrote the letter. Now Ajit Pawar will take a call on the matter,” he said.

Supriya Sule, Lok Sabha MP from Sharad Pawar faction, called it unfortunate. “For us Nawab Malik is a senior leader of NCP, and we always stand behind him. A person is innocent till he is proven guilty. The SC has granted bail to Malik. Still Fadnavis wrote such a letter which is unfortunate.”

Leader of opposition in the assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, called the move part of the strategy by the ruling trio.

“My information is that Malik is one of the MLAs who have given their written support to Ajit Pawar. While Pawar has inducted Malik into his party, BJP wants to distance itself from the issue following the criticism over their somersault,” Wadettiwar, a Congress leader, told reporters.

When asked by reporters about his decision to side with NCP’s rebel faction, Malik said he had been asked by the Supreme Court to not make any statement to the media. “I am in NCP and there is no split in the party. I would not speak on political matters but would be present in the house till the end of the session to raise my constituency-related issues.”

On Thursday, Malik attended the house proceedings and later, he was seen sitting in the office of Ajit camp’s chief whip and minister Anil Patil.

Coming down heavily on Fadnavis, Thackeray faction leader Sushma Andhare said during the MVA government, BJP had alleged minister Sanjay Rathod’s involvement in Pooja Chavan murder case.

“Later, BJP accepted Rathod as a cabinet minister in their government with Shinde. Now, Fadnavis questioned why Malik was not removed from the cabinet then,” she said.

Earlier in the day, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar told media persons that he had called up Malik and welcomed him to Nagpur for the session. “He is a senior leader capable of making his own decision on such matters.”

NCP’s (Sharad Pawar faction) state chief Jayant Patil said he was not aware of Malik picking the rival camp.

Malik, MLA from Anushakti Nagar, was jailed for 18 months until August 11, 2023, when the Supreme Court granted him bail on medical grounds in the money-laundering case. It was during his incarceration that Ajit along with a few MLAs joined the ruling alliance of Shinde and Fadnavis on July 2, 2022.

(With inputs from Swapnasaurabha Kulshreshtha)