After Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik was arrested by the Mumbai unit of Enforcement Directorate (ED), state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil demanded the cabinet minister's resignation.
While talking to the media, Mr Patil said, "Nawab Malik has been arrested, he should resign now. We demand his resignation. If he doesn't, we will protest."
Further he also said, "How are they running the govt? There's a long list of allegations against Maharashtra Ministers, will get tired reading it."
The NCP leader was grilled for nearly 8 hours in an alleged shady land deal case here on Wednesday afternoon.
The development came as a major jolt to the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) as Malik is the first serving Cabinet Minister to be arrested in this manner, sending shockwaves in political circles.
Shortly after 3 p.m., Malik was whisked off by the ED to a government hospital for a medical check-up at the Sir J.J. Hospital and he is likely to be produced before a designated Special PMLA Court later in the day.
As he was escorted out of the ED office by police and ED, a grinning Malik sporting a white kurta-pyjama, was seen raising a fist in the air, and declaring:
"Jhukenge Nahin, Ladenge Aur Jeetenge" ("Will not succumb, Will fight and Win") to his supporters as he was made to sit in a vehicle.
An ED team had visited Malik's home around 5 a.m. and taken him away for questioning in the Kurla land deal allegedly having a mafia taint.
The ED had summoned teams of the CISF and Mumbai Police security for the arrest even as a large number of Nationalist Congress Party workers staged a noisy protest outside the agency's office since morning.
Malik becomes the first sitting minister and a second senior NCP leader after the former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was arrested by ED on November 2, 2021 in alleged corruption and money-laundering cases.
(with agency inputs)
