MLA In Viral Video Once Offered 11 Lakh For Chopping Rahul Gandhi's Tongue

Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, now in the news for a viral video of him assaulting a canteen staff over the quality of dal, is no stranger to controversies. Last year, the MLA from Buldhana in Maharashtra sparked a row after he offered a reward of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who chops off senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's tongue.

The Sena MLA announced the reward in September last year amid the political row over Rahul Gandhi's comments on the reservation system. During an interaction at a US university, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha was asked about the reservation system. "We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place and India is not a fair place," he had said.

Speaking to the media soon after, Mr Gaikwad said, "While he was abroad, Rahul Gandhi said that he wanted to finish off the reservation system in India. This has exposed the true face of the Congress. I will reward anyone who cuts off Rahul Gandhi's tongue with Rs 11 lakh."

The remarks had raised a political storm and police registered a case against the lawmaker. Shiv Sena's ally, BJP, had distanced itself from Sanjay Gaikwad's remarks.

Last year, Mr Gaikwad made headlines for another reason. A viral video showed a policeman washing the MLA's car. The Sena leader later claimed that the policeman cleaned the vehicle voluntarily 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.

In his latest show of highhandedness, Sanjay Gaikwad assaulted a staff member at the MLA canteen in Mumbai's Churchgate, hitting him on the face and punching him so hard that he fell on the floor. The MLA was upset over the quality of Dal served to him.

When NDTV approached the MLA, he said the dal was "rotten". "I had asked for dal, rice and two chapatis. I started eating and threw up after a few morsels. I started feeling unwell. I went to the canteen. I did not even change. I went to the canteen and asked them to smell it and then said it's very bad. I called the manager, and he said it was not fit to eat. 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.