Basher MLA Targets South Indians: Will Gaikwad Face Shiv Again?

Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad has sparked outrage after assaulting a canteen staffer at the MLA hostel in Mumbai over allegedly stale food - and then doubling down with divisive, casteist rhetoric. In a shocking interview, Gaikwad not only justified the slap caught on video but launched a vitriolic attack on the Shetty community, accusing them of "defaming Maharashtra's culture" and linking them to dance bars - remarks that reek of regionalism and prejudice. He claimed Marathis would never have served stale food, insisting his actions were provoked by a 20-year-old stomach issue. Even as Chief Minister Shinde and Deputy CM Fadnavis condemned his conduct, Gaikwad remained unrepentant, insisting he only hit the "manager" - as though that somehow made it acceptable. The incident not only exposes unchecked arrogance among public representatives but also the dangerous normalization of violence and communal slander in political discourse.