Nawab Malik, now the official candidate of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, told NDTV today that the allegations now levelled at him were "irresponsible" and the verdicts in the cases would vindicate him. His response was to the remarks of senior BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, who had called him a "terrorist".
"These are irresponsible statements. Nawab Malik was never a terrorist nor was ever with any terrorist or any criminal. Nawab Malik has been in politics in this country for 50 years," Mr Malik told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
Some people think giving such comments would help increase their vote bank but it actually has the opposite effect, he said.
"Now the matter is sub judice, so I can't obviously discuss it. Once the verdict comes, everything will be clear," he added.
Mr Malik was arrested by central agencies in an alleged money laundering case involving mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and his associates Chhota Shakeel and Tigar Memon. He is currently out on bail.
The BJP had refused to support his candidature, citing the case against him.
"We won't endorse anyone who's related to any Dawood or Dawood related case," Maharashtra BJP chief Ashish Shelar had said yesterday, after Ajit Pawar's last-minute backing fr Mr Malik, he said the BJP would not campaign for him.
"Nawab Malik is a terrorist who tried to break India into pieces. He is Dawood's agent and Ajit Pawar's NCP has betrayed the country by giving ticket to Nawab Malik," Kirit Somaiyya later said.
Mr Malik, who had filed two nominations yesterday - one of them as an Independent and the other as a member of the NCP, to day said he ws not keen on contesting this time.
"I have been a 5-term MLA and have been a minister 6 times. I did not want to contest the election," he said, explaining that he changed his mind because of appeals from the people of Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar.
