In a shocking development that has unleashed a massive controversy in Maharashtra, an MLA belonging to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Monday announced a bounty of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who chops the tongue of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the latter’s purported comments on reservations.
In a video clip that has gone viral landing the BJP-led MahaYuti Government in an embarrassing situation, Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLA Sanjay Gaikwad said: “While on foreign soil, Rahul Gandhi said that he wants to end reservations in India. This has exposed the Congress’ true face. Gandhi’s statement reveals his party’s mindset that is inherently opposed to reservations. I will reward anyone who cuts off Rahul Gandhi’s tongue with Rs 11 lakh”.
“In the Lok Sabha polls, they (the Congress) secured votes by spreading lies that the Constitution is in danger…BJP will change the Constitution and today in the United States he said that his party will put an end to reservations given by late Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar,” Gaikwad, an MLA from Buldhana said.
As was expected, the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) turned up the heat on Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP and Ajit Pawar of the NCP.
Having found themselves on the defensive, Shinde, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar had distanced themselves from Gaikwad’s statement.
State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that he did not endorse or support Gaikwad’s statement.
However, Bawankule said that he said that India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had opposed the reservations on the ground that they would affect the country’s progress.
On his part, State Congress President Nana Patole demanded that an offence must be registered against Gaikwad. The people are witnessing the goondashahi, hukumshahi and Talibanshahi of this Government,” he said.
Condemning Gaikwad’s statement, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar of the Congress and his counterpart from the Upper House, Ambadas Danve of Shiv Sena (UBT) slammed Gaikwad for his “outlandish” statement.
“The Shinde-led Shiv Sena is not even worthy of taking Rahul Gandhi’s name… Gaikwad is nothing more than a traitor MLA from a stolen party (Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray,” Wadettiwar said.
Congress Legislative Party Leader Balasaheb Thorat said: “Gaikwad’s statement against Gandhi mirrors the attitude of the assassins of Mahatma Gandhi.... The conspiracy to discredit Rahul Gandhi by putting words in his mouth will never succeed. Nobody dares to even touch Rahul Gandhi’s hair as crores of Congress workers are his protective shield”.
“If there is even an iota of law left in the State, the Shinde Government should immediately take action against Gaikwad for his poisonous remarks,” Thorat said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote on the micro-blogging site X, “Prime sample of a gaddar, the blatant abuse of the elected post they hold to incite acts of violence against Rahul Gandhi. The disgraceful home Minister of Maharashtra will ignore any action and expecting anything from the traitor CM and his panaas khoke fauj is a joke!”
