'Nawab Malik will remain in Cabinet': Minister rules out NCP leader's ouster post arrest

Speaking to the media on Thursday, a key Minister ruled out Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik's resignation from the state Cabinet after he was arrested by the ED. Several Maha Vikas Aghadi legislators and Ministers held a protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue near Mantralaya to protest against the central agency's action. On this occasion, Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil made light of the allegations against Malik cited that the latter did not face any charge during his decades-long political career. 

Maharashtra Minister Jayant Patil remarked, "The people of India have seen through the entire matter and his purported connection with terrorist organizations. As this matter is before the courts today, we won't elaborate on this further. But we condemn (Nawab Malik's arrest). All the opposition parties in Maharashtra have come together and are sitting in the footsteps of the Mahatma Gandhi statue against attempts to defame the politicians in the opposition parties."

The state NCP president stressed, "There is no question of seeking his resignation because it is their dream to foist false cases and arrest the maximum number of Ministers. That's why there is no question of encouraging this tendency by giving resignation. Nawab Bhai will remain in the Council of Ministers. There is no question of taking any action unless the charge against him is proved."

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Food & Civil Supply and Consumer Affairs Minister Chhagan Bhujbal told the media, "There is no connection between the terrorists who carried out bomb blasts and Nawab Malik. If there is any Muslim person, they link him to Dawood and defame him. When Dawood is invoked, people's way of looking at things change. That's why the government is saying Dawood, Dawood."

ED arrests Nawab Malik

At about 7 am on Wednesday, a team of ED officials reached Nawab Malik's residence and accompanied him to its Mumbai office for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the activities of the underworld, terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and his aides. He was arrested at 2.45 pm after the agency alleged that he was guilty of an offence punishable under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. After his arrest by the ED on January 18, Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar allegedly revealed certain facts about his sister Haseena Parkar's involvement in usurping the high valued properties of innocent citizens in Mumbai.

The central agency alleged that Munira Plumber's prime property in Kurla whose present market value is Rs.300 crore was usurped by Nawab Malik through Solidus Investments Pvt. Ltd.- a company purportedly owned by his family members. As per the ED, this was done in connivance with Haseena Parkar, her bodyguard Salim Patel and 1993 bomb blasts convict Sardar Shah Wali Khan. After hearing arguments from both sides, Special Judge RN Rokade remanded him to ED custody until March 3.