MUMBAI: The entire Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) cabinet led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday protested near the Mahatma Gandhi statue adjacent to Mantralaya in South Mumbai against the arrest of NCP spokesperson and skill development minister Nawab Malik under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
For more than two hours, there was sloganeering against the NDA government, PM Modi and Central agencies for their alleged misuse of power. “The MVA government is with Nawab Malik. We will not succumb to political pressure, and the NDA will not be able to destabilize the democratically elected MVA government,” the cabinet members said.
Ajit Pawar was joined by NCP cabinet members Dilip Walse Patil, Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Supriya Sule; Congress ministers Balasaheb Thorat, Ashok Chavan, Sunil Kedar and fisheries development minister Aslam Shaikh; and Shiv Sena’s Subhash Desai.
The members alleged the ED action was political vendetta against the MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray. When the agita- tion started at around 10 am, Sena leaders were conspicuous by their absence.
Though it was felt the CM may not attend, Sena leaders Sanjay Raut and environment minister Aaditya Thackeray were expected to participate in the demonstration. Thorat said BJP had no moral right to demand Malk’s resignation.