New Delhi: Denying any ties to Dawood Ibrahim, Nawab Malik of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) says he intends to sue those linking him to the fugitive gangster to tarnish his image. Malik was elected to Maharashtra Assembly from Anushakti Nagar in 2019 and is now in the fray from the neighbouring Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar seat.
In an exclusive interview with ThePrint, Malik says this time there is no wave in any one party’s favour in Maharashtra, and claims Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will emerge as the ‘kingmaker’ this election.
Responding to allegations of ties to Dawood Ibrahim who is widely believed to have masterminded the 1993 Mumbai blasts, Malik says mudslinging is part and parcel of politics, but he has decided to file criminal and civil defamation cases against those who made such ‘irresponsible’ remarks.
Among those who have accused Malik of having ties with Dawood is Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is a part of the ruling Mahayuti along with Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Shiv Sena of CM Eknath Shinde. Both BJP and Shinde Sena are opposed to Malik’s candidature, and have asked their cadres not to campaign for him.
While calling for Malik’s resignation as a minister in the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Fadnavis had said in February 2022: “If this government doesn’t sack him, will it then be seen standing with the underworld fugitive Dawood Ibrahim?”
On such remarks, Malik tells ThePrint, “These kind of statements were given to link my name to Dawood to tarnish my image … Some people are calling me a terrorist, so we have decided to take all the statements forward after taking legal advice. I will file criminal and civil defamation against those making such statements and trying to defame my image.”
Reiterating that he has no ties to Dawood, Malik adds that there are no terrorism-related cases against him, nor has he “committed treason”.
“I was booked for money laundering and can’t discuss the case details. Through RTI we have placed some documents related to the case and when the matter comes out everything will become crystal clear,” he says, referring to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in February 2022. He was granted bail in August 2023 on medical grounds.
The NCP (Ajit Pawar) leader goes on to say that it is easy to “tarnish the image of a Muslim leader by linking him to Dawood”.
He goes on to say that a person like him who has been a minister multiple times “can always be arrested on corruption charges … He can be cornered. But why couldn’t they remove me from my post as a minister? I have been working in Maharashtra politics since 1977. People know what I stand for and I have won five times so no matter how much one tries to tarnish my image by pointing fingers at me people know what the truth is.”
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‘Will be part of govt on our own terms’
According to Malik, Maharashtra is looking at a “close fight”. “Absolutely no one can say that there is a wave in favour of any party in Maharashtra. There is a different kind of atmosphere in each seat. We feel when the results come, no government will be formed without the support of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction),” he says.
Underlining that political winds in the state have changed course since the Lok Sabha elections, he then talks about the Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s decision to align with the BJP. “Whatever our politics is, or that of Ajit Pawar, is not separate from the socialist democratic system. We can’t abandon the ideology of Shiv, Shahu, Phule and Ambedkar. This is not an ideological adjustment but merely a political one. Ajit Pawar too has been saying it.”
He adds that the incoming government will adhere to a “common minimum programme” and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP will be a part of it but on “our own terms and conditions”.
Asked what according to him are issues resonating with voters this election, Malik points to three: “Electricity bills have been waived and power is being provided free of cost to farmers for agriculture; secondly, technical and medical education, the government has taken up the responsibility of all the fees; and the third is the Ladki Bahin Yojana.”
Elections to Maharashtra’s 288 assembly seats will be held in a single phase on 20 November with the counting of votes on 23 November.
‘Have always favoured secular politics’
Coming down heavily on BJP leaders including Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath for their allegedly communally charged remarks, Malik says the life span of religion-based politics is “very short”. “We have always been against politics based on religion. Whether it is Ajit Pawar or other party leaders we have always been in favour of secular politics.”
Going back to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 and subsequent fall of the Kalyan Singh-led BJP government, Malik says, “Uttar Pradesh burnt, elections were held within four months and BJP was wiped out. Ram Mandir was constructed at the directions of the court … So such comments bring no benefit. The people must understand this.”
Reacting to PM Narendra Modi’s slogan ‘ek hain toh safe hain’ (together, we are safe) and how BJP amplified this message through newspaper advertisements, Malik says he has a different perspective on the matter. “People might see it from a different perspective but we are quite clear that it means people of all religions, linguistic backgrounds and castes should remain united, be they Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, or Christians; if people of different castes stay united, then definitely the country will be strong and also remain united.”
He goes on to say that when it comes to Muslims, “whether it is the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Congress or Pawar sahab’s faction (NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar), they have maintained a studied silence”. Adding, “As far as representation is concerned, when the time came to field Muslim candidates they (MVA) backed out.”
Malik then says that Muslims in Maharashtra “are behaving differently, they are anxious”.
According to him, unlike NCP founder Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar has been raising issues concerning the Muslim community. “The way Ajit Pawar stood up for Muslims whenever there was talk of riots; he protested against wrong statements and also objected to controversial remarks by BJP leaders. He told the BJP clearly to control its leaders.”
‘Ajit Pawar stood by us in times of crisis’
On what influenced his decision to join the Ajit Pawar-led faction after the NCP split, Malik says when he was in ED custody his daughters were struggling and it was Ajit Pawar who offered all the help he could.
“From time to time whenever she used to call Ajit Pawar, he stood by her and stood with us in times of crisis. See now, when the election is upon us, BJP wanted to keep me out of politics but with the same courage he gave me the ticket and with the same courage he campaigned for me. There is one thing about Ajit Pawar that whoever he stands with, he stands with them completely. He then does not worry about loss or gain,” says Malik.
He also counters criticism of Ajit Pawar for his decision to split the NCP and join Mahayuti by asking if there is any political party or leader apart from the Congress and Lalu Prasad Yadav who did not enter into some sort of political arrangement with the BJP at some point.
“Political adjustments have happened in the country, but there is no compromise with ideology. Ajit Pawar has clarified it time and again. Those pointing fingers at him should look at themselves as they have no right to speak like that because these parties at some point in time or another were with the BJP as part of a political adjustment,” says Malik.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)