‘Appreciate your stance on Nawab Malik, what about Praful Patel?’ Shiv Sena asks Devendra Fadnavis

Leader of Opposition in the state legislative council and Uddhav Thackeray’s leader Ambadas Danve has shot off another  letter to deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis asking him to clarify his position towards Praful Patel, a senior leader of Ajit Pawar led Nationalist Congress Party.

Fadnavis has expressed his displeasure in a letter written to his cabinet colleague Ajit Pawar after NCP legislator Nawab Malik, who is currently on bail after being implicated in a case related to mafia don Dawood Ibrahim, sat on treasury benches in the ongoing winter session of the Maharashtra legislative assembly. Danwe had raised a question how the BJP was comfortable allowing Malik to be part of the ruling coalition after calling him a traitor to the nation. On the floor of the House, Fadnavis took a cautious approach saying he only knew that he was sitting next to Pawar and Bhujbal was sitting next to Pawar. After the uproar on social media, however, a letter written by Fadnavis was released to the media where he told Pawar he did not want to interfere in his party’s internal matters but he must reconsider admitting Malik to his faction, given serious charges against him.

Danwe latched on to the letter and has now written to Fadnavis asking him about Patel, whose assets were seized by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged deals with Dawood aide Iqbal Mirchi. He pointed that very recently the same Patel was seen greeting the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Gondia airport. “You had expressed your displeasure against Malik. Do you have similar stance about Patel? I expect a quick clarification from you on this,” Danwe said in his letter.