BJP using central agencies to play political tricks: Aaditya Thackeray on Nawab Malik’s arrest

Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackrey on Thursday hit out at the BJP-led union government for using central agencies ‘to play tricks’ against politicians during elections.

“The central government is playing electoral tricks. Whenever elections come, all agencies start their work,” Aaditya Thackeray, who is Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s son, was quoted saying by news agency ANI.

His statement comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik in a money laundering investigation linked to 1993 Mumbai serial blasts accused Dawood Ibrahim.

“All promises (made by BJP) and dreams remained just dreams. They became ‘jumla’. BJP only scared people. They say ‘ye khtare mein hai, wo khatre mein hai’. But nobody can be in danger, it’s Lord Ram’s land,” Thackeray junior said while addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh.

Nawab Malik, the national spokesperson of Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and a minister in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, will stay in ED custody till March 3.

The ministers of the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will protest at Mumbai’s Mahatma Gandhi Smarak against the Enforcement Directorate, news agency ANI reported.

Meanwhile, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has also accused the BJP of misusing the power of central agencies ‘in the name of terrorism’.

“Whatever is happening in the country in the name of terrorism, and sometimes in the name of ongoing investigation in Maharashtra, is very unfortunate. This is the (BJP-led) govt’s bid to influence the assembly elections being held in Uttar Pradesh. People must be alert,” she wrote on Twitter.