The Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Kapil Patil criticised the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra over the rising incidents of drug menace and crime against women in the state. The statement comes a day after NCP leader Nawab Malik called the NCB raid on a luxury cruise liner last week as "fake" and termed BJP as a conspirator trying to defame Maharashtra.
Patil claimed that leaders of the ruling dispensation comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress were more concerned about saving their chair rather than attending to problems being faced by the state. Patil, who was elected for the second time as MP from the Bhiwandi seat, said the state government should first address these issues and resolve them. His statement comes at a time when Malik had sought clarification from BJP about a party member Manish Bhanushali escorting Arbaz Merchant up to the NCB office after the raids and drug seizure on the cruise. Malik had claimed that the NCB action was fake.
Earlier, NCB arrested 17 people, including Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, after allegedly seizing drugs from a Goa-bound ship. The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Mumbai Police earlier this week also arrested two drug suppliers and seized heroin worth Rs 15 crore from their possession. On the other hand, BJP legislator Ashish Shelar without naming Malik said the party activist Manish Bhanushali, who has been helping the NCB in the drugs case by risking his life, has been targeted. He also criticised the home department held by NCP over its silence.
