Nawab Malik keeps others guessing as MVA launches attack on Praful Patel

Mumbai: Amid high-voltage politics in Maharashtra which has put the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti on the spot, veteran politician and Mumbai legislator Nawab Malik refrained from spelling out which side of the NCP he was on, even as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi launched a massive attack on Former Union Minister of Civil Aviation Praful Patel.

Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis of BJP wrote to the other Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who heads the rebel NCP faction, that it would not be proper for the former minister to be part of the Mahayuti. NCP founder Sharad Pawar took a jibe and said that he wondered whether the two deputy CMs don't have each other’s phone numbers.

Shinde, who heads the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government, also sided with Fadnavis and saying that it would be improper to include Malik in the Mahayuti because of the charges of money laundering that he is facing.

During the second day of the Winter Session of Maharashtra Legislature, Malik, who is an MLA from Anushakti Nagar in Mumbai, was seen exchanging pleasantries with legislators, cutting across party lines and factions.

However, Ajit Pawar and NCP Working President Praful Patel made it clear that they had not yet spoken to Malik on the issue of which side he was on.

“It is the prerogative of the Speaker to decide on who sits where. As far as I am concerned, we have not spoken to Malik on this. I can comment on this only after holding discussions,” Ajit Pawar clarified his stand when asked about Nawab's seating on treasury benches during the Maharashtra Assembly session.

Echoing what Ajit Pawar said, Patel noted: “We haven’t spoken to Malik about his political views after we decided to join the Mahayuti government. After his release on medical bail, we paid him a courtesy visit, others too had visited him.”

Defending Fadnavis, state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said: “The entire BJP supports the stand taken by Fadnavis in his letter to Ajit Pawar on the issue of Nawab Malik. Fadnavis has said that there is no personal animosity against Malik, but he is facing serious charges,” he said, adding that there can be no support on certain issues. But Fadnavis has said that if he is acquitted from the charges, there is no problem in taking him into Mahayuti.”

State Cooperation Minister and NCP leader Dilip Walse-Patil said that they have no objection to the letter from Fadnavis to Ajit Pawar but making it in public domain could have been avoided.

The opposition parties - Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) pointed out that Patel too faces similar accusations.

“The charges that (NCP National Working President) Praful Patel (Ajit Pawar faction) faces are similar to that of Malik. There are others like Pratap Sarnaik, Bhawana Gavali (of Shiv Sena), you all know the charges that Hasan Mushrif (of NCP) faces) and Shiv Sena MLA and minister Sanjay Rathod,” Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Council Ambadas Danve shot off a letter to Fadnavis and asked his position on Patel, who is accused of having financial dealings with Dawood Ibrahim’s aides.

Asked about the charges, Patel said: “When the allegations were there, Sharad Pawar saheb had spoken about this. You can check from records what he had said.”