MUMBAI: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Wednesday claimed that state minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was an act of "revenge" and the need of the hour was to unitedly fight against the tactics to silence political opponents.
Talking to reporters here, Patole, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and NCP in Maharashtra, said the Congress stood firmly with Malik, who has been raising his voice against the BJP's "anti-people" policies and "arrogance of power".
"We will discuss such actions by central probe agencies and unitedly fight against the tactics to silence political. opponents," the Congress leader said.
He also accused the BJP of maligning Maharashtra for the sake of power.
The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress had in 2019 joined hands to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in the state.
The ED on Wednesday questioned Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister and NCP's chief spokesperson Malik in a money laundering probe linked to the activities of the Mumbai underworld, fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides, officials said.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Chandrakant Patil told reporters in Pune that if leaders of the NCP and other MVA constituents think that the ED's action against Nawab Malik is misuse of power, they can approach court to seek justice.
"We (BJP) have been subjected to injustice for the last 27 months (by the state government), but when our 12 MLAs were suspended, we went to court and got justice. Similarly, if they think that victimisation is happening, they should approach the court," he said.
Patil said when former state home minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh was arrested (by the ED in a money laundering case), there was a similar outcry, but it later died down.
The BJP leader also claimed that Deshmukh had said "if he (Deshmukh) opens his mouth, it will cost (MVA) dearly."
Earlier in the day, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said Malik is being troubled because he spoke against the Union government and misuse of central probe agencies.
"Which case have they dug up? It is simple. They take the name of Dawood, especially if there is a Muslim activist (against whom a case is dug up) There is no relation (between the activist concerned and underworld), but it is done," Pawar said.
Reacting to Pawar's comments, Patil accused the NCP chief of fanning casteism.
"Sometimes he does that between Marathas and non-Marathas, sometimes he does that between minorities and non-minorities. But, people know this kind of (Pawar's) politics which is going on for the last 50 years. The non-Muslim communities know this and they will not take it seriously," he said.