NAGPUR: Breaking his silence over his colleague Devendra Fadnavis's open letter over Nawab Malik, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde intervened to defuse the issue.
Fadnavis wrote to Pawar earlier this month saying the BJP was opposed to former minister Nawab Malik's inclusion in the NCP faction led by Pawar.
Malik, facing an ED probe for alleged real estate dealings with gangster Dawood Ibrahim's associates, attended the assembly for the first time during the winter session here after getting bail on medical grounds.
Asked about the letter during a media interaction after the session ended, Pawar said, "I did receive the letter. Chief minister Eknath Shinde intervened and said to me that no one needs to get upset. "Yeh mera prem patra padhkar, koi naraj na hona," Pawar quipped further, tweaking the words of a famous film song.
Notably, Malik had not made it clear which NCP faction he was siding with.
Meanwhile, speaking about the just concluded session, CM Shinde said he was happy that the Lokayukta bill was passed by both houses of the legislature.