Shiv Sena's Raut asks Nawab Malik to end daily slugfest with Devendra Fadnavis

Amid a bitter war of words between Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik and Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, ruling Shiv Sena has called on the two leaders to stop the daily allegations against each other. 

While calling NCP leader Nawab Malik's allegations substantial, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said his daily slugfest with the BJP should stop. The Nationalist Congress Party is a member of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra along with Sena and Congress. 

Reacting to a faceoff between Malik and Fadnavis, the Sena MP said, "Malik is extremely angry for a reason, and that is why he has levelled some serious allegations. These allegations are substantial. But I feel that these daily allegations against each other should stop."

Earlier in the day, Malik had accused former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of sweeping under the carpet a case of seized fake notes and appointing people with a criminal background to government boards. The BJP leader had earlier alleged that Malik's family had a dubious land deal with two convicts of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The minister had refuted the allegations.

Meanwhile, MVA ally Congress has demanded an investigation into the allegations made by both Fadnavis and Nawab Malik. Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole has demanded that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray order a probe into the allegations made by the two leaders about illicit currency and underworld connections. Patole said both allegations are serious in nature and bring shame to the state.

Devendra Fadnavis vs Nawab Malik

Former CM Devendra Fadnavis levelled grave charges against Nawab Malik, accusing his family of buying lands at cheaper rates from two persons closely linked to Dawood Ibrahim.

Fadnavis alleged that Nawab Malik's son Faraz Malik had struck a property deal with one Salim Patel, who was the "frontman" and bodyguard of Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parker. He further claimed that Faraz Malik, during his father's tenure as minister in 2005, had bought a 2.8-acre land owned by Sardar Shah Wali Khan - a convict of the 1993 Mumbai blast case. 

However, Malik has denied having any association with the "underworld" and claimed that the latter was levelling such a charge as he wanted to "save" NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede. 

Adding to his defence of the land transaction with Haseena Parkar's driver and bodyguard Salim Patel and 1993 bomb blasts convict Sardar Shah Wali Khan, Nawab Malik said in 2005, he was not a Minister. The NCP leader also highlighted that Khan was not a convict in 2005 when the deal took place. 

Hitting back at the BJP leader, Nawab Malik accused Devendra Fadnavis of appointing alleged criminals to government positions. The NCP Minister further claimed that no case of fake currency notes was registered in Maharashtra until October 8, 2017, nearly one year after demonetisation.