Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders are of the opinion that skill development minister Nawab Malik should not resign as the entire case against him was ‘fabricated’ and ‘followed a pattern’ of cases against opposition party leaders across the country by central agencies.

NCP leaders held a meeting with party chief Sharad Pawar, where they said that Malik’s resignation should not be sought though a PMLA court gave ED his custody till March 3. Congress ministers Balasaheb Thorat, Ashok Chavan and Sunil Kedar also called on Sharad Pawar and discussed the fallout of Malik’s arrest. Following the meeting, Pawar met chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to convey their views.

Later, NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal, flanked by Thorat and Shiv Sena’s Subhash Desai, said, “there is no question of resignation. Just because he was arrested does not mean he has to resign. He has not been convicted. An allegation has been leveled by a central agency which is working on vested interest. Even Union minister Narayan Rane was arrested recently (for saying he would have slapped the chief minister) but he hasn’t resigned, so why should Malik?”

BJP, however, said that it would take to the streets if the CM does not ask Malik to resign. “We will take to the streets and agitate if Malik does not resign,” state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said. Minutes after Malik was sent to ED custody, opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis alleged, “this is a very serious issue where a minister has real estate deals with Dawood Ibrahim who is India’s enemy. Dawood’s sister Haseena Parkar got the money that Malik paid for the land deal. The ED has got statements from the 1993 bomb blast accused who have given statements against Malik.” BJP leaders told ET that if Malik’s resignation was not sought, they would meet governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on the issue. MVA leaders are planning a protest against BJP’s ‘vendetta politics’.

Earlier, Pawar said his party had anticipated such an action against Malik as he spoke openly. “Which case have they dug up? It is simple. They take the name of Dawood, especially if there is a Muslim activist. There is no relation, but it is done.” Pawar said that he too was ‘targeted similarly’ in the early 90s when he was the CM of Maharashtra and an atmosphere was created against him. “Twenty-five years have passed since then. Similarly, names are being taken to defame people… People who take positions against the Centre or the misuse of probe agencies are being troubled and this is what has happened here,” he said.

Maharashtra NCP president and minister Jayant Patil said the state never saw such ‘political vendetta’ in the past and claimed efforts were made to pull down the MVA government. Speaking during the party’s on-going mass outreach programme in Solapur in western Maharashtra, Patil said Malik was arrested ‘without reason’. “Arrests are being made for no reason with the help of central agencies. This is not right,” Patil said. The state water resources minister alleged he, too, was pressured to join the BJP in 2019.