A video is rapidly going viral on social media in which Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad is seen kicking and punching a canteen staff. The Shiv Sena MLA was unhappy with the quality of the dal (pulse) served in the canteen, following which he vented his anger on the staff there.

Calling himself a warrior, the Shiv Sena said he used the language taught by Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. "I complained four times. Meri satak gayi (I lost it). I am a champion in judo, gymnastics, karate and wrestling. I can also use swords. I can do everything," he said, as quoted by NDTV.

This video surfaced a few days after the incident in which the son of a MNS leader was seen misbehaving with a woman in a drunken state. This new video has once again sparked a debate on the arbitrary conduct of elected representatives and the question whether political power allows such public misbehavior.

Who Is Sanjay Gaikwad?

Sanjay Rambhau Gaikwad, a member of the Shiv Sena, is serving as an MLA in Maharashtra Legislative Assemble from Bildhana Vidhan Sabha Constituency. He became an MLA in 2019 for the first time and again in 2024. Gaikwad contested the Maharashtra Assembly Election 2014 on a ticket from Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

Born on July 1, 1967, Gaikwad did his schooling from Shivaji School, Buldhana. According to the personal details shared on myneta.info, he has studied till Class 9, which he completed in 1983. The Shiv Sena MLA has four criminal cases pending against him, as per the affidavit shared by him in 2024. The 58-year-old leader has previously been embroiled in various controversies over his contentious and provocative remarks.

‘No Regrets: Gaikwad On Assaulting Canteen Staff

Instead of accepting his mistake, the Shiv Sena MLA said, “I have no regrets about this and I am a public representative. Whenever someone fails to understand the democratic language, he will have to understand this language.I didn't thrash him seeing whether he is Marathi or Hindi-speaking.”

Gaikwad said, “People from all across the state come here, workers, officials, everyone come here to have food. The quality of food should be good here as it is a government canteen. I don't have any regret over what I did. I had complained to concerned authorities on several occasions. I will repeat it..."

Speaking to news agency ANI, Gaikwad said, "I have been coming to this Akashwani canteen for 30 years and have been staying here for the last five and a half years. I have repeatedly asked them to serve good food. The eggs here are 15 days old, non-veg is 15-20 days old and even the vegetables are 2-4 days old. Around 5,000 to 10,000 people eat here and everyone has the same complaint..

Past Controversies Of Sanjay Gaikwad

Last year, the Shiv Sena MLA from Buldhana in Maharashtra had stirred up a major controversy when he announced a reward of 11 lakh rupees to anyone who would cut off the tongue of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Gaikwad had made the controversial announcement in September last year during a political debate sparked by Rahul Gandhi's comment on the reservation system. As the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi was questioned on reservation in an American university, to which he had said, "When India is a fair place and when India is not a fair place, then we will think about ending reservation.

This statement created a political uproar, after which the police registered a case against the MLA. At that time, Shiv Sena's ally BJP also distanced itself from Sanjay Gaikwad's statement.

Earlier, Gaikwad was in the news last year due to another controversy when a policeman was seen washing his car in a viral video. To this, the Shiv Sena leader clarified that the policeman concerned had vomited inside the car, after which he voluntarily cleaned the car.

Not only this, in February last year, the MLA created a sensation by saying that he had hunted a tiger in 1987, and he wears its tooth around his neck. After this claim became public, a case was registered against him under the Wildlife Protection Act.


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