Mumbai, July 9 A political storm has erupted after a video surfaced showing Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad assaulting a canteen worker at the state-run Akashvani MLA Guest House in Mumbai. A wave of anger and outage followed but he presented his unapologetic stance and justified the act claiming that he was served 'rotten food'.
The incident, which has taken place during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Assembly, has drawn severe condemnation from various quarters and has quickly gone viral on social media.
The video shows Gaikwad, who represents Buldhana, slapping and punching a canteen worker allegedly over the "poor quality of food" served to him, particularly a portion of dal that he claimed was spoiled and stinking.
The MLA's aggressive outburst has triggered widespread outrage and political criticism.
However, speaking to IANS, Gaikwad attempted to justify the assault, insisting that the food was indeed unfit for consumption.
"I had ordered food from the Akashvani canteen -- rice, dal and curry. After the first bite, I felt something was wrong with the food.
He claimed that this was not the first time he had raised concerns over food quality at the canteen.
"Earlier also, I have repeatedly asked the canteen owner to give good quality food. Thousands of people come here -- don't make them sick by serving bad food. You cook 15-day-old eggs and spoiled chicken, which is not fair," he said.
Defending his actions further, the MLA said, "That day, I also went to the manager with the food that I was served and asked him to smell it. He even admitted that the food smelled bad. I asked other workers in the canteen to smell it, and they agreed with me. So I reacted in my own style. If someone doesn't understand Hindi, Marathi, or English -- or even my request with folded hands -- and repeats the same mistake, then I had to take these steps."
Gaikwad claimed he did not know the identity of the worker.
"I don't know the person's name or religion. All I knew was that he was playing with my life, and I reacted," he added.
As the video spread, political leaders, including those from Shiv Sena (UBT), condemned the MLA's behaviour.
In response, Gaikwad recalled a previous controversy involving Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and then-MP Rajan Vichare, who in 2014 was accused of force-feeding a fasting IRCTC employee during Ramzan.
"He force-fed the waiter and assaulted him. At least I did not do that. I did not insult the food. Additionally, I did not do anything wrong. I don't care what people say," Gaikwad remarked.
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