Mumbai: The ruling Nationalist Congress Party, which is sharing power with the Shiv Sena and the Congress in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, received a major jolt on Wednesday after its cabinet minister and Mumbai unit chief Nawab Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Malik has been quite vocal on the Centre’s misuse of Central probe agencies. For the NCP, he is the second sitting cabinet minister after former home minister Anil Deshmukh, to be nabbed by the ED. This latest upheaval for the party comes at a crucial time, when NCP chief Sharad Pawar has been actively exploring options for an alternative to the BJP for the formation of a front comprising like-minded and secular parties, including the Congress.
Interestingly, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called up Pawar late on Wednesday evening, assuring her support to the NCP after Malik’s arrest by ED. His arrest is being viewed as a stern warning to the Shiv Sena and the Congress to be ready for similar action.
Interestingly, Malik’s arrest came just a day after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her two-day visit to Mumbai said, “Even if the Enforcement Directorate wishes to do something, it cannot, unless it has substantive material. Since the ED is a body that deals with predicate offences under PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act), without groundwork it is impossible for the ED to go after someone just because they are an enemy.”
Malik’s arrest led to the NCP going into a huddle with its allies. A series of meetings of MVA ministers took place, with back-and-forth telephone calls between Pawar and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and also between Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil and the CM. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also spoke to the CM. Thereafter, at his residence, Pawar chaired a meeting of the NCP and Congress ministers and later, with the CM at the lattter’s official residence Varsha, to discuss the future course of action.
The MVA ministers, legislators and office-bearers will stage a sit-in by the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Mantralaya ground at 10am on Thursday and from Friday onwards, workers from the ruling alliance will hold protests across the state. The MVA partners have resolved to take on the BJP and not succumb to the pressure tactics by the Centre. MVA ministers and leaders claimed that they are not scared by Malik’s arrest and by the deployment of probe agencies against them, saying that the government will complete its five-year term.
As far as the NCP is concerned, it is facing a tough time keeping its flock together, as the BJP will make all efforts to target Pawar and other party leaders in the days to come. Pawar and the NCP have been on the BJP’s radar as he has been the architect of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Malik’s arrest is a clear signal to Pawar and the NCP to keep quiet or the cases of other leaders, including those related to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will be probed on a priority basis.
What took the NCP by surprise is the manner in which ED had carried out its operation. The agency had kept Malik’s arrest a top secret and had formed a 20-member team to be stationed at the Ballard Estate on Tuesday until further orders, as sought by senior officers from Delhi. At midnight, Niraj Gunde, who is reportedly close to former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, tweeted a warning that Dawood Ibrahim’s brother, who was in the ED’s custody, had given details of investments by Maharashtra politicians. Thereafter, around 5am, the ED came knocking at Malik’s door and probed him for more than two-and-a-half hours before taking him to the office for further inquiry.
Reacting to the arrest, NCP MP Supriya Sule said, “It was expected, Nawabbhai too had expected this. He had also tweeted in the past that he would keep tea and biscuits ready if the ED officials arrived at his home. Had they issued a notice (to Malik), they would have also got breakfast before leaving (Malik’s residence). But they did not issue a notice.”
Meanwhile, the chorus from leaders and cadres of MVA partners for the state government to initiate actions against a slew of BJP leaders who were given a clean chit by the Fadnavis government, is getting louder. “There is a state anti-corruption bureau, economic offences wing and Crime Branch, they should open up cases against BJP leaders or take up the pending cases for a logical conclusion,” said a senior MVA leader.
