Soon after the arrest of Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik in a money laundering case, Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar on Wednesday called an emergency meeting of party leaders at his residence in Mumbai.
Rajesh Tope, Chhagan Bhujbal and Ajit Pawar arrived for the meeting.
Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate arrested NCP leader Malik in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to the activities of the underworld, fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
Malik was also produced before the Special PMLA court in Mumbai today.
According to the sources, Malik was not cooperating during the questioning.
State Congress President Nana Patole called on all the parties of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to unite and fight against the Central Government in support of Malik.
Malik was constantly raising his voice against the wrong policies of the BJP-led central government and exposing them, said Patole.
He has said that the Congress party is with Malik in this struggle.
"We will collectively fight such acts of oppression by the power-drunk BJP government at the Centre. All this is being done to defame Maharashtra and to gain power in the state. But, the people of this state are watching everything and they will teach them a lesson," Patole added.
Earlier in the day, ED summoned Malik in connection with an alleged money laundering case related to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
Last week, the ED on Tuesday conducted raids at the residence of Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parkar in Mumbai in connection with the money laundering case.
Searches were carried out by the ED at several places linked to people associated with the underworld in Mumbai, informed sources said on Tuesday.
The ED had also conducted searches at 10 different locations related to late Haseena Parkar, sister of Dawood Ibrahim, in Nagpada.
The agency had also questioned Dawood's nephew and Parkar's son Alishah Parkar and Chota Shakeel's henchman, Salim Qureshi, aka Salim Fruits.
( With inputs from ANI )
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