With the Maharashtra Minister, Nawab Malik facing legal issues with the Enforcement Directorate as he has been charged with involvement in a money laundering case, the NCP whose MLA is Nawab, has decided to hand over his Ministry for a temporary period to any other party colleague.

Malik, who is now in jail on charges of money laundering, is not able to discharge his duties as a minister because of it.

The party however has made it clear that it will not demand the resignation of Malik. This was confirmed by Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil.

Patil has said that the decision of the party will be informed to Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray as he has the final authority over the matter.

He told the media persons after attending a meeting convened by  NCP chief Sharad Pawar to discuss the issue, Patil said that the party will not take the resignation of Malik as the party believes that he has been wrongly arrested by ED.

The meeting was attended by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil and the party's senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare.

Holding the post of Minority affairs, Malik is one of the senior party leaders and is also believed to be a close confidant of Sharad Pawar. He is Minister in the Shiv Sena-led MVA government. The 62-year-old NCP leader, arrested in late February by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged money laundering case, is currently in jail under judicial custody.

Malik is also chief of NCP's Mumbai unit, is an in-charge minister of Parbhani and Gondia districts.

The party now says that since the court has rejected the bail petition of Malik, thus his portfolio will be given to others in the next two to four days.

“ We have decided to make this alternate temporary arrangement until he is available again," Patil said and added that the person who is going to take over the charge will be declared soon.