Mumbai, March 25 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday came out in open support for his Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik, who is incarcerated in a money laundering case, involving underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim family member over a land purchase. On the last day of state assembly in his speech he backed Malik and said if the NCP leader had a connection with Dawood Ibrahim for years, what were central agencies been doing. “If Nawab Malik had a connection with Dawood Ibrahim for years, what were central agencies doing for so many years? The matter is in court. I think LOP (Devendra) Fadnavis must be recruited by ED as he gave all the documents to ED, as he said somewhere,” Thackeray said. He slammed the erstwhile ally, BJP, for being pervert by indulging in defaming his Maha Vikas Aghadi government and its leaders and their family members. The chief minister clarified that he is not scared by ED’s move to provisionally attach assets of his brother in law saying that he is prepared to face such actions. On behalf of Shiv Sainiks, he said he was prepared to be jailed but BJP should stop its campaign only to gain power in Maharashtra. Thackeray also denied corruption charges leveled by Fadnavis in combating the coronavirus pandemic in Mumbai claiming that Mumbai model has been hailed globally. Thackeray said the BMC awarded contracts through short tenders as saving lives during the peak of Covid-19 was important. The Shiv Sena chief asked the opposition to point out shortcomings that could be removed but end baseless allegations. AAA ING