Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 9: The Maharashtra deputy chief minister and the leader of the Shiv Sena (Shinde) Eknath Shinde was left red-faced as the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis strongly rebuked his party MLA for slapping a canteen staff member of a state-run guest house for allegedly serving stale food.
The viral video of the Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad assaulting a canteen staff over the quality of food came up in the Maharashtra Council when the issue was raised by the Shiv Sena (UBT) member Anil Parab. Responding to the Opposition’s questions, Mr Fadnavis said such conduct by an MLA undermines the House’s decorum and urged the Chair to take necessary action against the MLA, who is from the ruling alliance.
Mr Gaikwad had made headlines after a video of him assaulting a staff member of the MLA canteen in Mumbai went viral. The MLA from Buldhana slapped and punched the canteen staffer, Yogesh Kutram. The lawmaker later said he did not regret what he did and that his earlier complaints about the food quality fell on deaf ears.
When Anil Parab raised the issue in the Council, the Chief Minister replied, “I have seen that video. Such an act is not good. Somewhere, it undermines the dignity of the house and all the MLAs. We came to know that the facilities were not up to the mark, the food was stale. Whatever it is, one can register a complaint. I request you (Chair) to deal with it independently. But for a public representative to assault someone, and a video circulating is not good.”
Terming his actions “inappropriate,” Mr Fadnavis said such an act send a wrong message among the people. “Misusing power and such conduct as an MLA is not right. This is a serious matter. You (Chair) and the Speaker should take cognizance of this and take the required action,” the Chief Minister added.
Mr Shinde also spoke out on the incident. “We are representatives of the people and we have some responsibility. I condemn Gaikwad’s action. I have told him that it’s wrong to slap someone.” Earlier, the MLA said the dal he was served was “rotten” and made him throw up. “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.
Asked if such conduct suits an MLA, he replied, “I am an MLA and a warrior too. When someone chose not to understand despite repeated attempts, I used the language Balasaheb Thackeray has taught us. I lost it. I am a champion in judo, gymnastics and karate and wrestling. I am not a Gandhian. I have no regrets. I don’t think I have done anything wrong. I will raise this issue in the Assembly too,” he said.
Sanjay Gaikwad stoked a fresh row after allegedly assaulting the canteen staff member at the MLA Guest House in Mumbai. He reportedly assaulted the staffer over poor quality of food. This incident was reported days after the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers assaulted a Mira Road shopkeeper for refusing to speak Marathi, triggering a major political slugfest.
It was learnt the Buldhana legislator was unhappy with the quality of food served at the MLA guest house canteen. Angry over quality of food served to him, the MLA allegedly confronted the staff and, along with others, assaulted one of the canteen employees. The incident was captured on camera and the video soon went viral.
Explaining why he reacted aggressively, Mr Gaikwad said, “Around 9.30 or 10 PM, I went to the canteen for dinner. Most MLAs from rural areas, including myself, stay there. I took varan bhaat to eat, and the moment I took the first bite, it tasted sour. On the second bite, I actually puked. When I smelled it, I realised it was stale food. I confronted the canteen staff and asked if they were serving poison.”
“This is unacceptable, especially when so many MLAs from rural constituencies stay here. This isn’t the first time either — they’ve been serving poor-quality food earlier too, and I’ve confronted them twice before,” he added.
Mr Gaikwad is a two-time MLA and sided with the Eknath Shinde camp when the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena split in 2022. Mr Shinde later retained the Shiv Sena’s name and symbol, while the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray is called Shiv Sena (UBT). When Mr Thackeray was asked about the MLA’s act, he replied, “He is not from my party. He is no longer a Shiv Sainik. He belongs to the Eknath Shinde faction now. That’s not Shiv Sena,” he said.