Mumbai: Varun Sardesai denies Rane’s allegations of links with Waze

After BJP MLA Nitesh Rane levelled allegations of links between Yuva Sena secretary Varun Sardesai and suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, Sardesai denied the allegations and said he would file a criminal defamation case against Rane.

Rane said on Monday that the NIA should question Sardesai to ascertain his links with Waze. He also asked why the government had provided security cover to Sardesai, who was not holding any government position.

Sardesai, secretary of the Shiv Sena’s youth wing and a cousin of minister Aaditya Thackeray, denied the allegations. “These are baseless allegations. So, I will be filing criminal defamation against Rane. If he does not prove the allegations, then he should be ready to face legal action,” said Sardesai, addressing the media with Sena minister Anil Parab.

Sardesai also said that while he does not take Rane’s allegations seriously, these baseless claims could damage his political career. “The Rane family has a habit of levelling baseless allegations against their political opponents,” he added.

Regarding the security cover, Sardesai said the government might have provided him security considering the fact that the Rane family was out to harm him and had been targeting him for the past six months by levelling various allegations.

The NIA arrested Waze late Saturday night in connection with its probe into the security scare outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia in south Mumbai on February 25.