Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh's arrest is politically motivated and aimed at maligning the image of the state's Maha Vikas Aghadi government leaders, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said on Tuesday.

Hitting out at the Centre, Malik, a minister in the Maharashtra government, said scaring leaders by abusing power should be stopped.

The entire action (of arresting Deshmukh) is politically motivated. It is aimed at scaring the leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance), Malik told reporters.

Deshmukh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) late Monday night after over 12 hours of questioning in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged extortion racket in the state police establishment.

Meanwhile, welcoming Deshmukh's arrest, former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said Shiv Sena minister Anil Parab will be the next to face action by a central agency.

Somaiya, who has been asked to appear before the Bombay High Court on December 23 in a Rs 100-crore defamation suit filed by Parab, said, Now we will know where the Rs 100 crore collected by Deshmukh went. Somaiya had claimed that Parab, the state transport minister, carried out construction of a seaside resort in Ratnagiri district without the approval of the environment department.