While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to not insult Maharashtra by keeping Nawab Malik in the Cabinet just to save his government, Maha Vikas Aghadi's rank and file came together on Thursday to stand in solidarity with the minister who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) the day before.

'Sack Malik'

BJP's state spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said Thackeray should not buckle under pressure from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and sack Malik. "The rule that was applied to [former home minister] Anil Deshmukh should also apply to Malik because the minister has betrayed the country. It is unsafe for the country to let Malik stay in the office," he told a media conference at the party headquarters. The party's city president, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, also issued a statement demanding Malik's resignation.