A fresh controversy has arisen since the video of Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad slapping and punching a canteen worker over subpar food quality has gone viral.The incident, which occurred on Tuesday night, reportedly stemmed from Gaikwad's complaint about being served stale food. A video of the altercation at the Akashwani MLA hostel has since gone viral on social media.
In the widely circulated video, Gaikwad, the Buldhana MLA, is seen confronting the canteen operator, refusing to pay his bill, and then slapping a staff member at the billing counter.
Speaking to a regional news channel, Gaikwad defended his actions, stating, "I had complained about the poor quality of food two or three times earlier. This time the food was absolutely unacceptable. I will raise this issue in the ongoing legislative session." quoted PTI
According to PTI, Gaikwad ordered dinner from the canteen on Tuesday night and found the dal and rice delivered to his room to be stale and foul-smelling.
Angered by this, the leader, who belongs to the Shiv Sena faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, reportedly stormed into the canteen to confront the manager. Eyewitnesses claimed that in the midst of the heated exchange, he struck the canteen operator.
Gaikwad further elaborated on his actions to PTI, stating, "People from all across the state come here, workers, officials, everyone come here to have food. The quality of food should be good here as it is a government canteen. I don't have any regret over what I did. I am a public representative... when someone fails to understand democratic language then I have to use this language only. I didn't thrash him seeing whether he is Marathi or Hindi-speaking. I had complained to concerned authorities on several occasions. I will repeat it..."
This is not the first time Gaikwad has faced controversy. In September last year, he made headlines for offering Rs 11 lakh to anyone who would chop off Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s tongue, following Gandhi's remarks on scrapping the reservation system.
The Buldhana police subsequently registered a case against Gaikwad for those comments.
