MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MLA representing Buldhana assembly segment, Sanjay Gaikwad has stirred a fresh controversy, this time, by targeting South Indians.
He said on Thursday that South Indians "run dance bars and ladies bars" hence they should not be awarded food supply contracts in Maharashtra.
"Why was a contractor named Shetty given the contract? Give it to a Marathi person. They know what we eat and will give us good quality food. South Indians run dance bars, ladies bars and spoil Maharashtra's culture. They have corrupted our children. How will they serve good food?" Gaikwad, the Maharahtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA said.
On Tuesday evening, furious at being served "rotten" dal and rice, Sanjay Gaikwad assaulted a canteen staffer at the MLAs' hostel in Colaba and manhandled another.
A video of Gaikwad hitting and punching the canteen staffer had gone viral on Wednesday drawing condemnation from the opposition.
Sanjay Gaikwad is second time MLA from Buldhan state assembly constituency in Maharashtra. Gaikwad got elected in 2019 against the Congress candidate Harshvardhan Sapkal who is presently president of Maharashtra Congress party. In 2024, Gaikwad won the state assembly elections against Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Jayshree Shelke by 841 votes in Buldhana where Prakash Ambedkar led Vanchit Aghadi candidate bagged 7146 votes.
In the past too, Gaikwad had stoked several controversies.
In September 2024, he announced a reward of Rs 11 lakh for chopping Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's tongue for comments made during his US visit on reservation system. An FIR was registered against Gaikwad following his announcement.
Gaikwad had not spared chief minister Devendra Fadnavis either when he was leader of Opposition during Uddhav Thackeray- led Maha Vikas Aghadi Government. At that time, Gaikwad said that if he gets a hand on coronavirus, he would put it in the mouth of Fadnavis. Gaikwad claimed that he hated Fadnavis so much that he was willing to do it. Fadnavis, he added, was doing dirty politics on pandemic when MVA ministers are working hard.
In August 2024, another video of Gaikwad's SUV being cleaned by Maharashtra police went viral on social media. It was alleged that the Sena MLA had his vehicle cleaned and washed by the police who were deployed for his security. Gaikwad later claimed that the policeman had cleaned the vehicle voluntarily after vomiting inside it.
In February 2024, Gaikwad claimed that he had hunted a tiger in 1987 and had been wearing its tooth around his neck. Soon after, the state Forest department sent the purported tiger tooth for forensic identification and charged Gaikwad under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Addressing the public rally, he openly abused voters, called them prostitutes and accused them of hawking votes for mutton, alcohol, and moolah. He said, even prostitutes are better than the voters who get sold at mere Rs 2000-2500, mutton, and alcohol.
In March 2024, during the Shiv Jayanti procession, he was seen in a viral video beating an young man with a police baton.
