Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik on Wednesday lashed out at former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis redirecting the BJP leader's salvo back at him for connecting Malik to the 'D Company'.
The state minority minister said Fadnavis has been trying to divert public's attention from the Narcotics Control Bureau that is facing various allegation. Malik said it was the former chief minister, in fact, who is responsible for the flourish in fake currency trade allowing both the underworld and extortion rackets to carry on their business in Mumbai.
The NCP leader accused Fadnavis of having links with 1993 Mumbai serial blast mastermind Dawood Ibrahim's aide Riyaz Bhati, who was arrested in a fake passport case at the Mumbai airport but was freed within two days after his arrest. And all this took place during Fadnavis' regime.
Malik also said Nagpur-based gangster Munna Yadav has good contacts with the former BJP chief minister and was appointed chairman of Construction Workers' Board by Fadnavis.
One Haidar Azam, involved in illegal immigration of Bangladeshis, was appointed chairman of Maulana Azad Finance Corporation by the previous BJP-led government in the state.
He also accused Fadnavis of protecting fake currency rackets with the help of NCB's Sameer Wankhede, who was then part of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
Malik's attack comes after Fadnavis accused the NCP leader of engaging in dubious property deals with two Bombay blast convicts.
"This fight is not against some particular persons, but against injustice and I'm fighting against a man who is framing innocent people in fake cases. People are trying to pull me down and stop me from making the revelations, but I will keep fighting for the truth," said Nawab Malik
He further said I still have a lot of bombs left with me. Will drop some in the Vidhan Sabha too.
Malik also accused Fadnavis of protecting people who were allegedly involved in currency rackets post demonetisation of 2016 announced by PM Narendra Modi on November 8.
"Modiji had said that terrorism, black money will end with demonetisation, fake notes will end. After the ban on notes (Rs 500 and Rs 1,000) on 8 November, 2016, counterfeit notes started being seized in many states. Fake notes were being collected from everywhere, in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu...”
However, for one year, he said "no fake note case came to light in Maharashtra".
“But, on October 8, 2017, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence caught counterfeit notes of Rs 14.56 crore in Bandra Kurla Complex area of Mumbai. There was an arrest in Mumbai. An arrest took place in Pune. An arrest was also made in Navi Mumbai. But the case was suppressed by telling the arrest was made in connection with a Rs 8.80 lakh amount of fake currency and not related to Rs 14.56 crore. Suddenly the entire thing was devalued.”
Malik said that it was 2008-batch IRS officer Sameer Wankhede who was in-charge of the case. He also wanted to know the reason why Wankhede has been posted in Mumbai for the last 14 years without a break. (UNI)
