Shiv Sena legislator Sanjay Gaikwad and AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel have engaged in a fresh war of words, taking forward their face-off, which started when the former assaulted an MLA hostel canteen worker in Mumbai earlier this month.
On July 11, Mr Gaikwad had threatened to thrash Mr Jaleel for criticising him over the canteen assault episode, and he has now challenged the latter to "meet" him in Mumbai.
"I thrashed that man (canteen worker) by punching him twice. But I will beat Imtiaz Jaleel so badly he will not be in a position to run a hotel," the legislator had said.
Mr Jaleel immediately hit back, saying he accepted the Sena MLA's challenge, and asked him to specify the place and time for their confrontation.
After Mr Jaleel on Tuesday (July 22) once again criticised Mr Gaikwad for assaulting the canteen worker over 'stale food', Maharashtra's ruling bloc MLA challenged him to meet in Mumbai's Azad Maidan, a 'neutral' venue, in "police presence, but no one coming between us".
Mr Jaleel was in Buldhana when he took a fresh dig at Mr Gaikwad.
"Hitting someone who is poor is not a manly behaviour. Earlier, a face-covered gang wearing briefs and vests in Pune used to loot people. Now, the difference is that they don't cover their faces and do goondaism in the assembly. Hitting someone poor doesn't make you powerful," said the former Lok Sabha MP from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, taking potshots at the MLA.
"Those who beat the poor think they can hit me also. Then I say let him (Gaikwad) decide the day, place and time, and I shall reach there. This (challenge) is not for a single leader but for all those who think they have power," asserted the journalist-turned-politician.
Reacting to the criticism, Gaikwad said, "Imtiaz Jaleel kept his feet in Buldhana because police requested me for that. If he is challenging me personally multiple times then he should make an affidavit saying only we both will be responsible for the consequences if we meet." "Neither Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar nor Buldhana, we shall meet in Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Everything will take place in the presence of the police, but no one will come between us," he added.
Mr Gaikwad is from Buldhana, while Mr Jaleel is from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
In early July, Gaikwad slapped and punched a canteen staffer over ‘stale food' served in the MLA hostel.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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