Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad on Wednesday faced flak from CM Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde following an incident in which Gaikwad was seen slapping and punching a hostel canteen staff member over alleged ‘stale food’.

Gaikwad ordered dinner from the canteen on Tuesday night and found the dal and rice to be foul-smelling. A video of the incident, which went viral on Wednesday, showed Gaikwad, wearing a vest, confronting a canteen staffer and slapping and punching him. The video further showed that the MLA continued assaulting the staffer even after he fell on the floor. 

Both Fadnavis and Shinde claimed that Gaikwad could have complained about the food quality to the authorities concerned instead of assaulting the staff. While the top state leaders expressed displeasure over Gaikwad’s behaviour, the MLA’s action was also criticised by the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), which sought strict action.