"One Kashiff Khan had invited me to the party... I don't know him and as far as I know we never spoke on the phone. That invite was like many others I get daily... Since I had no plan to go, I did not inquire further and the matter ended there," Shaikh said.

 

Presently, two agencies -- NCB and Mumbai Police -- are currently probing the entire issue and the truth would come out soon, the minister told mediapersons.

 

However, Shaikh said that the manner in which Malik has been making revelations almost daily, it is now clear that there's a systematic conspiracy to "malign the Maha Vikas Aghadi" government in Maharashtra.

 

On the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's allegations, Shaikh pointed out that they habitually hurl unsubstantiated charges at their rivals to derive political mileage.

 

"What happened during the death of Sushant Singh Rajput? The BJP went all out to target the MVA government, ministers and leaders, till the Bihar elections (October -November 2020). After the elections were over, even the Rajput controversy abruptly ended and nobody talked about it..." Shaikh pointed out.

 

He also targetted some BJP leaders and certain news outlets of making direct accusations of murder against MVA leaders and ministers, even though the probe agencies have yet to give their conclusion whether it was suicide or homicide.

 

"Even now, the whole national and even international media is focussing on this case, but nobody is talking about the huge drugs consignment of over Rs 20,000-crore seized from a container at Mundra Port in Gujarat," said Shaikh sharply.

 

The Congress minister's statements came a day after Malik revealed that the cruise ship party organisers had invited Shaikh and other prominent or high-profile personalities as part of an alleged conspiracy by Wankhede's so-called 'private army' to "trap and extort crores of rupees" from them.

 

The NCP's National Spokesperson went on to say that an alleged 'quartet' in the NCB led by Wankhede along with some members of the 'private army' had "trapped and abducted" Aryan Khan for collecting a big ransom, and said more facts will emerge from the investigations.