Malik claims Fadnavis appointed 'criminals' to govt posts; Ex-CM hits back

Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Wednesday accused former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of sweeping under the carpet a case of seized fake notes and appointing people with criminal background to government boards. Continuing his tirade against the leader of the opposition, Malik in a press conference said there are more bombs to be dropped in coming days and he will make more revelations against the BJP.

Soon after Malik's press conference, Fadnavis posted a cryptic tweet, quoting famous playwright George Bernard Shaw. I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it! it read.

Malik on Tuesday said he would drop a hydrogen bomb and reveal Fadnavis' alleged underworld links, while Fadnavis had alleged a dubious land deal involving Malik, his family members and two convicts of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case over a decade ago, a charge refuted by the minister.

On Wednesday, Malik said while fake notes were seized in other states after demonetisation in 2016, there was not a single such instance in Maharashtra, when Fadnavis was the chief minister of the state.

Malik said on October 8, 2017, the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized fake notes worth Rs 14.56 crore from the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai.

But Fadnavis helped sweep the case under the carpet. The seized amount was later shown with a value of Rs 8.8 lakhs, Malik alleged, questioning why the case was not handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Incidentally, Sameer Wankhade (the Narcotics Control Bureau officer against whom Malik has levelled several serious allegations) was the DRI's joint director at that time, he added.

Malik said one Imran Alam Sheikh was arrested in this case. Later, his brother Haji Arfat Sheikh was made the chairman of the state minority commission, the minister claimed.

He alleged that Fadnavis appointed people with criminal background on several state boards.

The NCP minister said one Munna Yadav from Nagpur was made the chairman of the Maharashtra Construction Workers Welfare Board despite criminal charges like murder registered against him.

Malik alleged that Fadnavis sheltered an individual whose second wife was a Bangladeshi. When the Malad police tried investigating the case, they were pressured, he added.

Fadnavis resorted to criminalisation of politics by appointing people with criminal background on government posts, the minister alleged.

Malik and Fadnavis have been targeting each other with charges of underworld links. Both have denied any links with the underworld.

Malik had last week sought to link the BJP with an alleged narcotics dealer by tweeting the latter's photograph with the former chief minister and his wife Amruta Fadnavis.

Devendra Fadnavis had then said he will make revelations about Malik's underworld links after Diwali and also share the "documents and proofs" of the same with NCP president Sharad Pawar.