Throwing their weight behind Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, the leadership of the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on Wednesday categorically ruled out Mr. Malik’s resignation until his guilt was proven.
Following Mr. Malik’s arrest, all top NCP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, MP Supriya Sule and Minister Jayant Patil, met at NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s residence in Mumbai. This was immediately followed by a meeting at Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s official residence in which leaders of the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress, including Mr. Pawar were present.
