Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut asserted that the allegations against Praful Patel of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were similar to the ones Nawab Malik is battling and questioned the BJP over the difference in its treatment of the two leaders.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had on Thursday written to Ajit Pawar expressing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s reservation over Malik’s entry into the fold. Like Nawab Malik, there are allegations against Praful Patel. It was the BJP that had alleged Patel dealt with people related to (fugitive gangster) Dawood Ibrahim. So why justice for Praful Patel and an attack on Nawab Malik, Raut asked while talking to reporters.
Similar allegations have been made against Nawab Malik and Praful Patel. It has been alleged they had dealings with a person related to Dawood Ibrahim. The ED has also taken action and has confiscated Patel’s property. BJP had questioned (Congress leader) Sonia Gandhi on this issue when Praful Patel was minister during UPA rule (at the Centre between 2004 and 2014), he alleged.
So the question must be asked about what Fadnavis thinks of Patel, said Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP. Praful Patel, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party associated with the Ajit Pawar faction, is aligned with the ruling alliance in Maharashtra.