Shiv Sena MLA assaults canteen worker on video; Priyanka Chaturvedi targets Maha govt

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday strongly criticised the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra after a purported video of Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) MLA Sanjay Gaikwad allegedly beating a “poor helpless” canteen worker went viral on social media.

Meet Shah Sena’s MLA Sanjay Gaikwad. Last year he had threatened&announced 11 lakh rupees to anyone who cuts off Sh. Rahul Gandhi’s tongue. Now the man is seen beating up a poor helpless canteen worker. But wait no news TV outrage here since its a BJP ally pic.twitter.com/XVwnEzJFSU

— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) July 9, 2025

In the video, the Shiv Sena MLA can be seen punching a man in the face while the other people look on silently.
In a post on X, UBT MP Chaturvedi wrote, “Meet Shah Sena’s MLA Sanjay Gaikwad. Last year, he had threatened & announced 11 lakh rupees to anyone who cuts off Sh. Rahul Gandhi’s tongue. Now the man is seen beating up a poor, helpless canteen worker. But wait no news TV outrage here since its a BJP ally”.

This comes months after Sanjay Gaikwad, MLA from Buldhana, had earlier courted controversy with remarks against the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

Sanjay Gaikwad had stated, “The kind of statement made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has exposed the true face of the Congress. During the Lok Sabha elections, they sought votes by spreading lies that the Constitution was in danger, claiming the BJP would change it. Today (then in 2024), in America, he said that the reservation system established by Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar would be dismantled. These words have come from his mouth. Whoever cuts his tongue, I will give them Rs 11 lakh”.

The remarks came after Rahul Gandhi’s speech in the United States, where he said Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs lack adequate representation in the system, adding that India is not a “fair place”.

“If you look at the Indian government, there are 70 bureaucrats who run the government, secretaries to the Government of India. These are the individuals who make almost all the financial decisions. Out of these 70 people, there is one tribal, three Dalits, three OBCs, and a minority. Ninety per cent of India’s population has access to less than 10 per cent of the positions that determine how money is spent. When you look at the financial figures, tribals receive 10 paise out of every Rs 100, Dalits get Rs 5, and OBCs a similar amount”, the Congress leader had said during an interaction with students and teachers at the University of Texas. (ANI)