Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came down heavily on Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad after a video of the legislator thrashing a canteen staff went viral on social media.
The incident, which sparked widespread outrage, allegedly took place over complaints regarding the quality of food served to Gaikwad. Terming the act as “unacceptable” and “not honourable to anyone,” Fadnavis strongly condemned the behaviour and stressed that the incident has brought disrepute to the entire legislative body.
Speaking in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, the Chief Minister highlighted the larger implications of the incident, noting that misconduct by one elected representative casts a shadow over all lawmakers. He called for greater accountability among public officials, stating that legislators must lead by example rather than misuse their authority.
Devendra Fadnavis Responds To Anil Parab
Fadnavis’ comments came in response to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab, who raised the issue in the Assembly, accusing the ruling coalition of political arrogance and highhandedness. Addressing these concerns, the CM stated that such behaviour sends a damaging message to the public about MLAs and their power dynamics.
Grievances must follow proper channels
He added that if there are genuine grievances about food quality in the canteen, there are proper channels through which complaints can be formally lodged and addressed. “But assault by public representatives does not send out the right message… This is a serious issue. You (Council chairman Ram Shinde) and Speaker (Rahul Narwekar) take cognisance of it to take further action accordingly,” the Chief Minister added.
Uddhav Thackeray’s remarks on incident
Reacting to the incident, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray distanced himself from the legislator, clarifying that Gaikwad belongs to the Shinde faction, not his party. Thackeray further alleged that a larger conspiracy is at play to tarnish the image of the Chief Minister, suggesting that such acts are being orchestrated intentionally. “He is not from my party. He is from the Shinde group. I believe a conspiracy is going on to defame the Chief Minister. All things are being done deliberately. He (Eknath Shinde) wanted to become chief minister but was not made, so he is waiting impatiently,” Thackeray added.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said Sanjay Gaikwad should have taken legal action, but “resorting to violence was not right.”
What’s the incident?
On Tuesday night, Shiv Sena’s MLA Sanjay Gaikwad slapped an employee of a canteen at the MLAs’ hostel in Mumbai after complaining about being served stale food. After the incident, the Buldhana MLA said the food served to him was of poor quality and he will raise the issue during the ongoing session of the Maharashtra legislature, even as members of some opposition parties criticised him for his behaviour.
A video of the incident, which took place at the Akashvani MLA hostel, has gone viral on social media platforms. In the video, Gaikwad is seen berating the canteen operator, refusing to pay the bill, and slapping the staff member seated at the billing counter. “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 legislature session,” Gaikwad told the media.