Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) working president, Supriya Sule, has dubbed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the "Bhrashta Jumla Party." Sule accused the BJP of insulting former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik and orchestrating a trap for the faction led by Ajit Pawar within the NCP.
The controversy unfolded after Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis penned a letter to Ajit Pawar, expressing reservations about Nawab Malik, who is facing allegations in an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case, sitting on a treasury bench seat during the winter session of the state legislature.
Sule, in response to Fadnavis's letter, criticized the BJP's treatment of Nawab Malik, stating, "I read that letter, and the way Nawab Malik has been insulted is wrong." Speaking to PTI on Thursday, she alleged that the BJP has turned into “Bhrashta Jumla Party” and they have “trapped” the Ajit Pawar group.
Nawab Malik, currently out on medical bail after being arrested by the ED in February 2022 in a money-laundering probe, attended the winter session of the state legislature on Thursday. He was observed in the office of the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP in the legislature complex. Inside the House, he was seated in the last row, alongside an MLA from the Ajit Pawar faction.
The opposition seized the opportunity to criticize the BJP, reminding them that they had once labeled Malik a "traitor" when he faced allegations related to a land deal in Mumbai involving Dawood Ibrahim’s aides. Malik, however, has not clarified whether he aligns with the Ajit Pawar faction or the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.
Fadnavis, in his letter to Ajit Pawar, acknowledged Malik's right to attend the assembly as an MLA but expressed the BJP's reservations about including him in the ruling 'Maha Yuti' alliance. He emphasized that, given the serious allegations Malik faces, it would be inappropriate to induct him into the alliance, despite Malik being out on medical bail.
While asserting that it is Ajit Pawar's prerogative to decide who should be inducted into his party, Fadnavis highlighted the importance of each constituent party considering whether such an induction would harm the alliance. The BJP leader concluded by stating their opposition to Malik's inclusion in the 'Maha Yuti.'