BJP demands Nawab Malik’s ouster from Maharashtra Cabinet

We will not stop until he is removed, says Devendra Fadnavis at a protest rally in Mumbai

The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a protest march in Mumbai on Wednesday demanding the ouster of Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik from the State Cabinet.

Mr. Malik was recently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged money laundering case linked to gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

Addressing party workers at Azad Maidan here, Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said, “We are against anti-nationals and those who did business with Dawood Ibrahim. We will not stop until Nawab Malik is removed from the State Cabinet.”

Mr. Fadnavis claimed that Mr. Malik did business with an accused in the Bombay bomb blast case and sister of Dawood Ibrahim, Hasina Parkar. “How can you do business with those who killed Mumbaikar in blasts? We will not let this happen and we won’t let Nawab Malik continue in the Cabinet,” he said.

The BJP leader targeted the ruling Shiv Sena questioning its Hindutva image, saying that parties can change but not Hindutva. “How can those who do business with Dawood Ibrahim be allowed to remain in the government led by the son of Balasaheb Thackeray?” he said.

Following the speeches, BJP leaders staged a rally from Azad Maidan to Metro Cinema where all leaders were detained by the Mumbai police and taken to the Yellow Gate police station. They were released later.