BJP leaders detained over Nawab Malik’s ouster

The BJP on Wednesday organised a protest at Azad Maidan demanding the resignation of NCP minister Nawab Malik who has been arrested in an alleged money laundering case.

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and other party leaders lashed outattheShivSena,which is leading the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Fadnavis and other leaders were briefly detained by the Mumbai police when they tried to take out a protest march.

Earlier, Fadnavis, in his address, said if the government does not sack Malik then it will be seen standing with the underworld fugitive Dawood Ibrahim. “If Anil Deshmukh resigns, Sanjay Rathore resigns, then why not Malik?” he asked amid slogan shouting by BJP workers at Azad Maidan. Fadnavis targeted Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, claiming that if he takes Malik’s resignation the government will collapse. “We will tell Balasaheb Thackeray that we struggled, but his own son is so blind to power that he did not take Malik’s resignation.

Because, he (the CM) knows that if Malik resigns his government would fall,” he said. “Mumbai has suffered alot after serial bomb blasts and the MVA government is protecting the one who purchased land from these killers of Mumbai. All this money got used for terror funding…,”warned Fadnavis.

Meanwhile, Fadnavis also made the same demand in the state assembly. This led to slogan shouting by BJP legislators, which prompted Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal to adjourn the assembly for 30 minutes.