Sena MLA Who Slapped Canteen Staff Over Stale Food Targets South Indians

Marathis would have never shown any laxity in serving fresh food if they were allowed to run the canteen at the MLAs' hostel in Mumbai, Shiv Sena legislator Sanjay Gaikwad has said, days after he assaulted a staff member for allegedly serving him stale food. 

"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," the legislator from the ruling Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told NDTV. 

"The Opposition shares their views but do they not know that these Shettys of the south have defamed Maharashtra's culture, be it in terms of dance bars or ladies bars. These things have been going on in Maharashtra for a long time and are being done by the Shettys. Shetty is not written on his forehead but the hotel belongs to the Shettys," he said, as he targeted the Shetty community that is mostly prominent in the South.  

Asked if he would have reacted differently had the canteen employee been a Marathi, Mr Gaikwad said: "This is not a question about Marathis. Firstly, Marathis wouldn't have made such a mistake... The people of Maharashtra have never run a dance bar, or a ladies bar, they have never done such acts, only outsiders do such acts. Earlier Balasaheb had also protested these." 

The Sena MLA from Buldhana on Wednesday triggered a massive controversy after a video of him slapping the employee - Yogesh Kutran - of Akashvani MLA hostel at Churchgate surfaced on social media. Sources said Gaikwad had ordered dinner from the canteen on Tuesday night but found the dal and rice delivered in his room to be stale and foul smelling. Angered by this, the leader stormed into the canteen and confronted the employee. In the midst of the altercation, he hit the employee on his face.  

As the video sparked a political row, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said such conduct by an MLA undermined the House's decorum. "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 the video getting circulated is not good," he said. 

Mr Shinde also condemned his party colleague's actions. "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," he said. 

Mr Gaikwad, however, continued to defend himself and said he hit the manager and not the staffer, "which is right". 

"I have been complaining about it for the last two to three years but in vain. It was not just me, but several other MLAs, their personal assistants and other people raised similar complaints but nothing came out of it. I knew the road I adopted was incorrect but taking the wrong road has led me to the right path, and this is why a case has been registered against him today," he said, referring to the cancellation of the canteen's licence by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration. 

He said his action "helped resolve the grievances of lakhs of people". "I admit that my path was wrong but the destination was right," he said. 

Asked if his actions are capable of disrupting the law and order, the Sena MLA said: "This is not an incident that had the possibility of disrupting the law and order. We have not acted against society. We have only taught a lesson to those who were trying to play with the lives of others by feeding them wrong food," he said. 

"Action should be taken against anyone who does wrong things, be it a Shetty or a Maharashtrian. No one has the right to play with anyone's life," he added.

On Mr Shinde also objecting to his action, the Sena MLA said: "I will speak to Mr Shinde and the Chief Minister and will put forward my views and am sure that will no longer be upset after listening to me." 

He added: "This was justice to me, justice to a lot of other people. If the canteen people decide to take action against me and file an FIR, then they should be prepared for a cross-FIR as well."

Asked if he believes violence is the only solution to such issues, he said: "I don't think anyone will ever repeat this mistake again."

Mr Gaikwad is no stranger to controversies. Last year, he sparked a row after he offered a reward of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who chopped off senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's tongue. This came amid a political row over Mr Gandhi's comments on the reservation system. 

Besides, a viral video last year showed a policeman washing the legislator's car. The Sena leader later claimed the policeman volunteered to clean the vehicle 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. He was subsequently charged under the Wildlife Protection Act.