NCP MLA and former minister Nawab Malik, out on bail in an alleged money laundering case, created a stir Thursday morning in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly when he sat on a treasury bench seat, leading to speculation that he had aligned with the Ajit Pawar faction, part of the ruling alliance. Later in the day, Malik was also seen sitting in the Vidhan Bhavan office of the Ajit Pawar faction. Taking exception to Malik’s presence in the House, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis wrote a letter to colleague and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, stating it would be “inappropriate” to include Malik in the ruling alliance in view of the pending case and charges against him. “Former Minister and Member of Legislative Assembly Nawab Malik came to the legislature today (Thursday) and participated in the proceedings. He has a right to do so being a member of the Legislative Assembly. I would like to clarify that we have absolutely no personal enmity or grudge against them. However, in view of the accusations that he is facing, we believe that it would be inappropriate to take him into our alliance,” Fadnavis said in his letter to Pawar, addressing him as NCP president. सत्ता येते आणि जाते. पण सत्तेपेक्षा देश महत्वाचा… pic.twitter.com/WDzm3Pjo3f — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) December 7, 2023 Malik and Fadnavis share an uneasy relationship and, in the past, have hurled serious allegations against each other. Malik, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March 2022 in an alleged money laundering case, spent 18 months in jail before being granted bail on medical grounds by the Supreme Court in August this year. Fadnavi said, “He is out on bail only on medical grounds. If the charges against him are not proved, you must welcome him back. But we are of the clear opinion that it will not be right to make him part of our alliance, when there are such allegations against him. It is the right of every party to decide on whom it wants to include in its fold. However, constituents of the alliance also need to take into consideration that their decisions do not hurt the alliance. It is for this reason that we are against this.” He also took a swipe at the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government for retaining Malik as a cabinet minister despite his arrest. “We can’t identify with the then Chief Minister and the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi alliance, which kept him as a minister even when he was charged for having dealing with traitors. I hope you will understand our sentiments,” the letter by Fadnavis stated. Asked which of the NCP faction was Malik going to side with, Ajit Pawar faction chief whip Anil Patil said, “Nawab Malik himself will reveal who he is with. Also, our national president will tell us whose side he is on. Nawab Malik will go and sit in the House. After that, everything will be clear. We have been given an office in the legislature premises. The Speaker has given that office. There is no faction issue because the NCP is ours.” Speaking on the Malik seat allotment issue, Ajit Pawar said, “The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly has the right to decide where anyone should sit in the House.” Vidhan Bhavan officials said since the two NCP factions were not recognised by the Speaker yet, there was no question of having separate seating arrangements for MLAs belonging to the two factions. Earlier, Shiv Sena UBT member and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve, without naming Malik, targeted the BJP for letting him sit in the Legislative Assembly treasury benches. Minister Shambhuraje Desai objected to Danve raising the issue in the Upper House. This led to a verbal exchange between Shiv Sena UBT MLC Anil Parab and Desai. Danve said he had raised the issue with the permission of the Council Deputy Chairperson. “A member is sitting in the Lower House. The CM and the Deputy CM have been saying that they will never rub a shoulder with one who is a traitor. The same person who was branded as a traitor could be seen rubbing shoulders with ruling party legislators by sitting in the treasury benches,” he said. Responding to Danve, Fadnavis said, “I wonder how those leaders, who had taken a stand not to take the resignation of Malik when he was in jail, are now asking for our stand. We had demanded his resignation when he was put behind bars… But the Uddhav Thackeray-led government did nothing in this direction. So, you should first answer why you didn’t take his resignation despite him being in jail.”
