Nawab Malik row: Devendra Fadnavis, other BJP leaders detained briefly

BJP had staged the protest march at Azad Maidan to intensify the pressure on the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for sacking of Malik, alleging that the minister’s land deal with gangster Dawood Ibrahim helped the latter’s gang in funding terror activities.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were detained briefly by the police here on Wednesday as they tried to take out a protest march to push for the resignation of state minister Nawab Malik, who was arrested by Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case last month. The BJP leaders were later released from the Yellow Gate police station.

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis shout slogans after being detained during a protest against Maharashtra government demanding the resignation of state minister Nawab Malik at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Wednesday. (ANI)

BJP had staged the protest march at Azad Maidan to intensify the pressure on the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for sacking of Malik, alleging that the minister’s land deal with gangster Dawood Ibrahim helped the latter’s gang in funding terror activities. The march was attended by key leaders, including state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, former ministers Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Ashish Shelar among others.

“The BJP will continue its agitation until Malik is sacked. We received a huge response for our protest march today. We won’t tolerate any attempt of shielding Malik, who helped the country’s enemy. The state government has been pointing at the arrest of the ministers in West Bengal , but they should realise the basic difference between the two cases. Malik was directly linked with Dawood. The MVA cares more about Dawood’s feelings than the sentiments of the people of the state,” Fadnavis said.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said, Malik’s sacking was imperative for the safety of Mumbai and Maharashtra. He also refuted that the protest was staged eyeing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections. “The local body elections have already been postponed by six months. Our protest was in the interest of Mumbai and Maharashtra,” he said.

Meanwhile, home minister Dilip Walse Patil said ,“We have taken all the details related to the allegations levelled by Fadnavis. The reply to his allegations has been deferred on request of the opposition. I do not want to speak on the allegations at this point of time. The truth will come to the fore after the reply on the floor of the House in the House.”