Top Sena leaders were away campaigning in UP; BJP workers stage counter-protest demanding Malik’s resignation
@the_news_21
Mumbai: The political slugfest between the ruling Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was on full display on Thursday. Following the arrest of Maharashtra Minister and senior NCP leader Nawab Malik by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), MVA leaders from NCP and Congress staged a protest. The BJP party cadres too staged counter-protests. While senior Sena leader and State Industries Minister Subhash Desai arrived late at the protest venue, most of the top Sena brass were not present at the protest venue.
Top NCP leaders and several Congress ministers gathered at the Mahatma Gandhi statue near Mantralaya (state governments official seat of power) in Mumbai, The MVA protest against the BJP-led Centre’s misuse of probe agencies was marked by the conspicuous absence of Shiv Sena leaders.
Clarifying on the absence of senior Sena leaders at the MVA protest, Sena spokesperson, MLC Manisha Kayande argued that Sena leaders like Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and Eknath Shinde were away campaigning in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. Other Sena leaders like State Transport Minister Anil Parab were away for an annual religious ceremony in Maharashtra’s Konkan region.
Kayande added, “There is no need to draw any other meaning concerning some Sena leaders who could unfortunately not be present as events (Malik’s interrogation and arrest by the ED) happened suddenly. Many of them are campaigning in Uttar Pradesh while others are attending the annual Bharadi Devi jatra at Anganewadi village (in Konkan’s Sindhudurg district) …all those Shiv Sena leaders who are in Mumbai will be reaching the protest venue soon.” She further argued that all three MVA parties stood united against the ED’s action on Malik.
On the other hand, BJP activists were seen protesting in Pune and other places in the State. The BJP party workers raised slogans against Nawab Malik and called for his immediate resignation while demanding a probe into his alleged ‘links’ with fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
The NCP leadership continued to back Nawab Malik, arguing that the BJP had no right to demand his resignation and that the three parties in the MVA had taken a clear stance on the issue.
Senior NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal remarked, “The BJP are trying to tarnish Nawab Malik by linking his name with Dawood Ibrahim. It becomes particularly easy (for BJP) to influence people when a Muslim party activist is smeared with the ‘Dawood Ibrahim’ taint.”
The senior NCP minister further demanded to know why BJP Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, who made the accusations against Nawab Malik linking him with a business deal with a 1993 Mumbai serial blast convict, did not probe Malik when the BJP was in power in Maharashtra till 2019 and Fadnavis was Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Bhujbal further questioned, “How can they prosecute Malik under the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act which came into force after he had struck his property deal? Moreover, if there was indeed so much evidence to link Malik with Dawood Ibrahim, then why did Devendra Fadnavis not take action when he was Chief Minister? Whatever the public may have thought about the veracity of ED probes in the past, now they can clearly see that these are the BJP’s tricks to destabilize the MVA government.”
Alleging that the BJP virtually controlled the ED and other central agencies, senior Congressman and minister Balasaheb Thorat said that the agency’s action against Malik was proof that the BJP could not bear to see the three-party MVA functioning smoothly.
State NCP President Jayant Patil said that it had become a countrywide trend since the last two years that anyone dissenting against the BJP vocally was being persecuted by agency probes on the basis of some obscure case.
The state NCP president further remarked, “A person (Malik) who has had an unblemished record in the State Assembly is suddenly slapped with allegations and linked to terrorists with some property sale he did more than 20 years ago. This is a clear attempt to defame the MVA… Tomorrow (Friday) there will be a reaction throughout the State on this as workers of all three parties will protest jointly.”
Arguing that Malik himself would give a fitting reply to Fadnavis’ accusations, Patil said that the MVA had no intention of “encouraging” the BJP by giving in to their demand for Malik’s resignation. He added, “This is the BJP’s last weapon (of unleashing the ED) …Even when there is no relation between Malik and the nefarious underworld don, false allegations of ‘terror funding’ are being slapped on him.”
Last year, Devendra Fadnavis had alleged that Nawab Malik had apparently struck a property deal with 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blast convict Sardar Shahwali Khan and Mohammed Salim Ishaq Patel, said to be the ‘frontman’ of Haseena Parkar, Dawood Ibrahim’s sister.
According to Fadnavis, the prime property of 2.80 acres located at LBS Marg in Kurla was bought by Solidus Investment Private Limited for a meagre Rs. 30 lakhs. He then alleged, “The signatory of the deal transacted was Faraz Malik, who is Nawab Malik’s son.”
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee spoke to NCP chief Sharad Pawar and expressed solidarity following Malik’s arrest, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief Mayawati lambasted the BJP-led Centre for. misusing its powers “in the name of terrorism.”
Mayawati accused the government of using central agencies like the ED and the ‘ongoing probe in Maharashtra’ for its personal gains. In a tweet she said, “Whatever is happening in the country in the name of terrorism, and sometimes in the name of ongoing investigation in Maharashtra, is very unfortunate. This is the (BJP-led) govt’s bid to influence the assembly elections being held in Uttar Pradesh. People must be alert.”
