MLA In 'Slap' Video Compared Voters, Prostitutes, Claimed He Killed Tiger

NDTV

2 days ago

Mumbai:
Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, who made headlines for a viral video of him slapping and punching a canteen staff in Mumbai over food quality, has a knack for making controversial remarks. The MLA from Buldhana in Maharashtra has earlier offered an award for chopping off Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's tongue. He has also claimed that he killed a tiger and wears its tooth around his neck.
In January this year, he compared voters and prostitutes. On January 5, a month after his second Assembly poll victory by a slim margin, Mr Gaikwad alleged that people were selling their votes for alcohol, mutton and cash. "Voters selling out for daru (liquor), mutton and two thousand (rupees) are worse than prostitutes," he said.
The video went viral and the lawmaker was criticised on social media, but the Eknath Shinde-led party took no action.
Earlier, in September last year, the Sena MLA offered a reward of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who chops off Mr Gandhi's tongue. This came amid the row over Rahul Gandhi's comments on the reservation system. During an interaction at a US university, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha was asked about the reservation system. "We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place and India is not a fair place," he had said.
Speaking to the media soon after, Mr Gaikwad said, "While he was abroad, Rahul Gandhi said that he wanted to finish off the reservation system in India. This has exposed the true face of the Congress. I will reward anyone who cuts off Rahul Gandhi's tongue with Rs 11 lakh."
This is not all. The legislator was the talking point after a video showing a policeman washing his car went viral. Sanjay Gaikwad later claimed that the policeman cleaned the vehicle voluntarily after he vomited inside it. In February last year, the MLA claimed he had hunted a tiger in 1987 and wears its tooth around his neck. Thereafter, he was charged under the Wildlife Protection Act.
In his latest show of highhandedness, Sanjay Gaikwad assaulted a staff member at the MLA canteen in Mumbai's Churchgate, hitting him on the face and punching him so hard that he fell on the floor. The MLA was upset over the quality of Dal served to him.
When NDTV approached the MLA, he said the dal was "rotten". "I had asked for dal, rice and two chapatis. I started eating and threw up after a few morsels. I started feeling unwell. I went to the canteen. I did not even change. I went to the canteen and asked them to smell it and then said it's very bad. I called the manager, and he said it was not fit to eat. Over the past several years, I have told them to give me fresh food. Their chicken and egg stocks are days old. They are playing with the health of thousands of people every day. And when people complain, they don't listen," he said.
The MLA's assault of the canteen staff has drawn criticism from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The MLA is, however, unapologetic. He has now drawn a language connection to justify his actions, saying Marathis would have never shown laxity in serving fresh food if they were allowed to run the canteen at the MLAs' hostel in Mumbai.
"These Shettys have been playing with our lives for a long time. Today, they tried to play with my life. My stomach isn't good and I have been disturbed over it for the last 20 years. The slightest mistake can land me up with a stomach ache," he said in remarks that are significant against the backdrop of the raging language row in Maharashtra.