Nawab Malik targets Devendra Fadnavis again, links him to ‘high-end’ parties

The Maharashtra minister attacked Fadnavis for a second day over what he called “high-end” parties organised at a five-star hotel in Mumbai that stopped being held once Fadnavis’s tenure as the chief minister ended

Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Tuesday attacked Devendra Fadnavis for a second day over what he called “high end” parties organised at a five-star hotel in Mumbai that stopped being held once Fadnavis’s tenure as the chief minister ended.

A file photo of Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik. He targeted Devendra Fadnavis again, linking him to ‘high-end’ parties when he was chief minister. (ANI/File)

Malik claimed the parties cost ₹15 crore each. “Price of each table was ₹15 lakh and [the parties] would continue for the whole night. Who were organisers of the parties? Such parties continued until you were the chief minister and discontinued after the government changed [in 2019]. Were you not aware of these parties? Was your police machinery so weak?”

Malik added Fandavis, who was also the home minister then, should have taken action against such parties. “I had cautioned when you (Fadnavis) completed one year in office... about your brother. I questioned what was a duplicate Devendra Fadnavis doing in the city. Had CCTV footage of hotels been released, it would have been difficult for some people to hide their faces at that time. I have never done vendetta politics.”

The comments came a day after Malik on Monday tweeted pictures of Fadnavis and his wife, Amruta, with Jaydeep Rana who was arrested in a drug peddling case. Malik alleged that drug peddlers were protected under the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Maharashtra.

Fadnavis denied the allegations on Monday and said he will expose Malik’s links with “the underworld” after Diwali.

Malik on Monday dared Fadnavis to expose the links. “In 62 years of my life, no one has ever dared to say that I am linked to the underworld. Everyone knows that I was the only person targeting and questioning Devendra when he was the chief minister. Despite being targeted, you (Fadnavis) chose to keep quiet. Why? If you were aware of any such links, it was your responsibility to take action against me. By making vague allegations, I will not stop.”

Malik claimed a consignment of 51 tonnes of poppy seeds has been lying at Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai for over five days and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence was yet to register a case. He questioned why action has not been taken so far.

He reiterated his allegation that the drug business was going on under political protection. “A dangerous game is going on related to drugs... The entire game of drugs cannot be run without political protection... those responsible for eliminating drug cartels are found allowing drug businesses to run.”

BJP leader Ashish Shelar dismissed Malik’s allegations as baseless. He added he has levelled them out of fear of getting exposed after Diwali. “Why did Malik hide the sensitive information related to the drug cartel he had. Is it not a violation of the oath he has taken as a minister?”