Maharashtra Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh, | Photo Credit: Twitter

Key Highlights Shaikh, the Member of Legislative Assembly from Malad Vidhan Sabha constituency in Mumbai, on Tuesday told media persons that his dated letter was nothing but a political tactic by the BJP to mislead people Shaikh had in July 2015 written the letter to then President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking mercy for Memon However, his clemency plea was turned down by the Rashtrapati and Memon was hanged to death in a Nagpur jail on 30 July 2015

Mumbai: Barely a day after Maharashtra Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh took oath as a minister in the state Cabinet, he is the middle of a controversy after a old dated letter of him seeking mercy for 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon went viral on social media.

Shaikh was quick to blame the Bharatiya Janata Party for it and alleged that since the ruling party at the Centre failed to retain power for a second consecutive term in the state, it was misleading people by putting out such things on various issues.

It is to be noted here that Sheikh was one of many political leaders from Maharashtra who had sought clemency for Memon in 2015.

Interestingly, the Shiv Sena, which is not part of the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ coalition government with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress, was in an alliance with the BJP when the clemency request was written, and had also welcomed the death sentence for Memon.

Shaikh, the Member of Legislative Assembly from Malad Vidhan Sabha constituency in Mumbai, on Tuesday told media persons that his dated letter was nothing but a political tactic by the BJP to mislead people. “Since the day BJP was dethroned, it is misleading people on various issues,” he said.

“Those who construct Nathuram Godse’s temple are levelling charges against me (of being soft on terrorism). These are the same people who had assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. They are trying to do what the British could even not do,” the newly-appointed minister said, according to news agency PTI.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party had in November broken away from its National Democratic Alliance partner, the BJP, after a fallout over seat-sharing and power-sharing formula, along with the Chief Minister’s post.

Shaikh had in July 2015 written the letter to then President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking mercy for Memon. However, his clemency plea was turned down by the Rashtrapati and Memon was hanged to death in a Nagpur jail on 30 July 2015.