Nawab Malik’s ‘Hot Seat’ in Winter Session: ‘Why Didn’t BJP Object to Ties With NCP's Praful Patel?’

As expected, day one of the winter session of the Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday remained rocky. Not because the opposition tried to corner the Mahayuti government in the house, but owing to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former minister Nawab Malik.

After coming out of jail on bail on medical grounds, Malik attended the winter session of the assembly with MLAs of Deputy Chief Minister (CM) and NCP leader Ajit Pawar’s faction. As he sat on the treasury bench, several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders fumed.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis shot off a letter to Pawar, reminding him that Malik is out on bail, and that he has not been given a clean chit by the court on the serious allegations against him.

Speaking to the media on Friday morning, Pawar said, “I have got Fadnavis’s letter and have read it. I will express my views once Malik clarifies his stand. Who sits where in the house is the prerogative of the State Assembly speaker. Malik has come to the assembly for the first time after we (NCP) joined hands with this government. Let him speak first.”

When reporters tried to get a reaction from Malik on Friday, he said, “The court has asked me not to speak with the media.”

SANJAY RAUT, SACHIN SAWANT QUESTION MOVE; NOT DISCUSSED POLITICAL ISSUES WITH HIM, SAYS NCP

Malik got support from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and Congress leader Sachin Sawant. Speaking to the media, Raut said, “Writing a letter to another deputy person, who is sitting just next to Fadnavis, is nothing but drama. When similar kinds of allegations were levelled against NCP leader Praful Patel, how come the BJP accepted him in the Mahayuti? When the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is still probing the case against Minister Hasan Mushrif, how is the Mahayuti okay with him? Many leaders of the NCP and Shiv Sena are facing ED probe, then why is the BJP only targeting Malik? ”

Sachin Sawant posted on the microblogging website ‘X’: “If BJP leaders got angry just because Nawab Malik sat with NCP MLAs on the treasury bench, how did the party accept Praful Patel, who is facing allegations of links to Iqbal Mirchi? Does the BJP think that Iqbal Mirchi is a patriot? ”

NCP (Ajit Pawar Faction) state president Sunil Tatkare clarified the party’s stand on X: “Nawab Malik has been our colleague for many years. He has nothing to do with the recent developments, which have happened in the NCP. We had paid a courtesy visit to him after he was released from jail on medical grounds. We have not discussed any political issues with him.”