Suspend Sena MLA Who Assaulted Canteen Staff, File Case: Team Uddhav MP

Calling for the suspension of Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, who not only assaulted a canteen staff member in Mumbai over the quality of dal served to him but also justified the act, a key MP from the Uddhav faction of the Sena has said a case should be registered against him.

Speaking to NDTV on Wednesday, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Arvind Sawant also said there is no equivalence between Mr Gaikwad's actions and those of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers who assaulted a shopkeeper for asking why speaking in Marathi should be compulsory or a former MP from his own party, at whose office traders were slapped for not speaking the language. 

Asked for a reaction on Mr Gaikwad's assault on the staff worker, Mr Sawant said, "Absolutely condemnable, deplorable. I strongly condemn this."

Alleging that the MLA was behaving with impunity because he belonged to the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, which is part of the ruling alliance, the MP urged the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker - whom he called the "custodian" of the House as well as the MLA hostel where the incident occurred - to suspend him.

"An FIR should also be registered against him (Mr Gaikwad). And that too by the police. Suo moto," he said, claiming that the MLA used abusive language and had been involved in similar incidents in the past. 

On former MP Rajan Vichare, at whose office some traders were slapped for not speaking Marathi, Mr Sawant said the Sena leader had not assaulted anyone himself. "I said I can understand scolding," he said. 

Uddhav Thackeray's Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have been coming closer and, at an event last week, the Sena chief said he and his cousin Raj Thackeray have "come together to stay together". The catalyst for the reunion was the Marathi issue - specifically the implementation of the three-language policy in Maharashtra schools, which is part of the National Education Policy.

To a question on what he wanted to say about the MNS workers assaulting the shopkeeper, Mr Sawant said there can be no comparison. 

"Maharashtra is the most inclusive state in the country. Shiv Sena was never against Hindi and will not be... The issue is related to the Maharashtra government's decision to force a third language. If I go to Punjab and someone asks me to speak in Punjabi, I will apologise and say I can understand if you say something. I won't say 'what will you do?' In this case, the approach of the person has caused the problem," he said.