BJP to defend NCB chief Sameer Wankhede

BJP has decided to support Narcotics Control Bureau zonal director Sameer Wankhede, who faces allegations of attempted extortion and securing a job using a fake cast certificate. The Maharashtra BJP's executive, which met on Tuesday, decided to 'take to the people the issue of mental harassment of officers'.

BJP's change of strategy came after Maharashtra minister for skill development Nawab Malik started attacking BJP and Wankhede almost daily. The party felt that not countering the attacks would not be in BJP's best interests. Malik has linked opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders in his allegations.

BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said that his party would go out to the people to highlight how MVA ministers have been 'harassing' officers like Wankhede' by make allegations. BJP leaders said the decision was not easy. BJP's wariness to defend Wankhede comes not just after Malik's allegations but also after Prabhakar Sail, one of the NCB witnesses in the cruise case, alleged that 'money was extorted' from actor Shahrukh Khan after NCB apprehended his son Aryan Khan.