Row in Maharashtra assembly over Nawab Malik's induction in ruling alliance

Amid a row over NCP MLA Nawab Malik sitting with the legislators of the ruling alliance on the first day of the Winter Session of assembly, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday wrote to his cabinet colleague and NCP leader Ajit Pawar expressing opposition to the induction of Malik in the ruling 'Maha Yuti' or grand alliance in the state.

Malik is also an accused in an Enforcement Directorate case.

"In view of the manner in which he (Nawab Malik) is accused, we are of the opinion that it would not be proper to take him into the grand alliance. Power comes and goes. But the country is more important than power," Fadnavis said.

"We agree that it is your prerogative (to decide) who should be inducted in your party. But every constituent party (of the Maha Yuti) has to think as to whether it would harm the alliance," he said, adding, "Hence, we are opposed to this".

Malik is out on medical bail after the ED arrested him in February 2022 in a money-laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.

Malik was a cabinet minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government at the time of his arrest.

He attended the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature here for the first time on Thursday. He sat on the last bench in the assembly, next to the MLAs of the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party.

The winter session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in Nagpur began on a stormy note with the Opposition blaming terming the state government "anti-farmers".

The winter session will be held between December 7-20 in Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra.

The session comes as the December 24 deadline set by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to provide reservations to his community approaches. At the same time, farmers' woes compounded after unseasonal rains and hailstorms damaged rabi crops on one lakh hectares of land.

However, ShivSena-Shinde MLA Sanjay Shirsat has supported Fadnavis and said that the government cannot compromise and include them for the sake of power.

"He (Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis) has said right only. He said that we give priority to the nation, the nation comes first to us, and power doesn't matter to us. We can't compromise with anyone and include them for the sake of power. If someone who is being considered an anti-nationalist sits with us, then it can cause trouble for us. That's why such a person shouldn't be with us, it's a clear picture," Shirsat said.

BJP leader Ashish Shelar said that his party had cleared its stand - for us country is more important than power.

"BJP had cleared its stand - for us country is more important than power. Power comes and goes but we cannot & will not compromise on some points. With the kind of accusations that are levelled against Nawab Malik, BJP cannot accept the support of a person..." he said.