'Bomb & hydrogen bomb': Ex-CM, Malik face-off on land deals, underworld links
Mumbai: BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday alleged a dubious land deal involving Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, his family members and two convicts of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case over a decade ago, a charge stoutly denied by the NCP politician who hit back and promised to drop a "hydrogen bomb" exposing the former Chief Minister's alleged underworld links.
The two Maharashtra leaders engaged in a no-holds-barred attack against each other through the media during the day and came out with their own set of accusations, stirring state politics.
Following up on his promise that he will drop a 'bomb' after Diwali and expose Malik's "connections with the underworld", Fadnavis, addressing a press conference, levelled a string of allegations against the NCP leader mostly related to dubious land deals.
He alleged a company of Malik and his family members had purchased a land parcel in suburban Kurla at a very cheap rate through fictitious documents from two convicts of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.
The Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly claimed one of the two convicts, Saleem Ishaq Patel, was working as a frontman of terrorist Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parkar in Mumbai.
The former Chief Minister also alleged that Malik and his family members entered into land deals with people associated with the underworld.
However, the state minister claimed all land deals were clean and asserted he did not buy properties from anyone linked to the underworld or convicted in the bomb blast case.
Responding to a query on why he didn't reveal these land deals when he was Chief Minister of Maharashtra (2014 to 2019), the BJP leader said he would have exposed Malik had he found this information earlier.
The former CM's remarks came days after Malik sought to link the BJP with an alleged narcotics dealer by tweeting the latter's photograph with the former Chief Minister and his wife Amruta Fadnavis.
The former CM had then said he will make revelations about Malik's underworld links after Diwali and also share the "documents and proofs" of the same with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar.
"Nawab Malik and his family members were part of a company which purchased land in Kurla (area of Mumbai) at a very low rate by making some fictitious documents. There are four such land purchase deals where I can firmly say that Malik has entered into land deals with the underworld," the BJP leader said.
He claimed the land was purchased from Sardar Shahwali Khan and Saleem Ishaq Patel, who were convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.
"Why did you do business with the killers of Mumbaikars?" the BJP leader asked.
Another question arises that why did these two accused persons sell their land to Malik? They were about to get convicted under then TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act). As per that legal provision, all the properties of convicts get attached and come under government control. Did Malik help them to avoid such land on prime location from getting attached? Fadnavis asked.
The Opposition leader claimed Malik's son Faraz had signed the agreement documents of the Kurla land deal with Khan and Patel.
Saleem Ishaq Patel was working as the driver as well as a frontman of Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parkar in Mumbai. He was also given the power of attorney of several properties purchased by Parkar. In the suspicious Kurla land deal, Patel had the power of attorney of the land and he signed the sale agreement which was purchased by Faraz Khan, son of Nawab Malik, Fadnavis claimed.
Fadnavis claimed the original value of the entire plot in Kurla, admeasuring around three acres (2.80 acre), was estimated to be Rs 3 crore.
"However, a company controlled by Malik's family purchased this land for merely Rs 20 lakh. The property deal began in 2003 and was completed by 2007. Just before the deal, Nawab Malik had stepped down as a minister after a report authored by retired judge P B Sawant passed severe strictures against him. However, the question remains that how come Malik was not aware of Saleem Patel and his alleged underworld connections?" he asked.
Queried about his future course of action, Fadnavis said he would submit the documents to "appropriate authorities" like the CBI, ED or NIA. A couple of hours later, Malik held his own press conference and refuted all allegation made by Fadnavis.
Malik said by trying to link him with the underworld and bomb blast convicts, Fadnavis is maligning his image.
The minister said his daughter will send a legal notice to Fadnavis on Wednesday for his comments against his son-in-law Sameer Khan, who was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) earlier this year in a drug case and later granted bail by a court.
Just after Fadnavis finished his press conference, Malik tweeted: "I am coming," in an apparent message that he will hit back.
"The charges levelled by Devendra Fadnavis are baseless. I never bought any property from anyone linked to the underworld or a blast convict," Malik said at the press meet.
He said Fadnavis is making a mountain of a molehill.
Malik said he has been in public life for over 26 years and no one has levelled charges linking him to the underworld or bomb blast convicts.
The 62-year-old minister said the properties bought by him have been acquired legally after paying stamp duty. All deals have been done in a very transparent manner, Malik claimed.
