BJP opposes Nawab Malik’s entry to Ajit Pawar-led breakaway NCP

Nagpur: In a dramatic twist, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday raised strong objections to former Maharashtra-minister Nawab Malik "joining" the breakaway Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

In an unprecedented step, BJP’s Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has shot off a letter to his counterpart Ajit Pawar expressing reservations over Malik’s entry to the ruling MayaYuti alliance of Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP (AP).

Fadnavis said that considering the kind of allegations that Malik is facing, it "would not be proper" to include him in the MahaYuti alliance.

However, he said that as a MLA, it is Malik’s right to come to the legislature and he even participated in the proceedings on Thursday.

On his objections on the issue, Fadnavis made it clear right in the beginning that he harboured no personal enmity or grudges against Malik.