Viral video footage showing a ruling Shiv Sena MLA slapping and punching an employee at the MLAs' hostel canteen here for serving "stale food" has drawn widespread condemnation from government and opposition, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis denouncing the act.

He said such behaviour sends a "wrong message" about legislators misusing their power.

The widely circulated video shows Buldhana MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, wearing a vest and a towel, confronting the canteen contractor and forcing him to smell a packet of dal before slapping and punching him.

The contractor falls on the floor due to the impact, and as he tries to get up, the MLA continues with the assault.

Gaikwad, however, remained defiant and said he doesn't regret his action.

The incident was raised in the legislative council by opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Anil Parab, who accused Gaikwad of being "high on power" and damaging the Chief Minister's image.

"Such conduct does not behove anyone. It impacts the image of the state legislature and as an MLA...a wrong message goes among people about all MLAs that there is misuse of power," Fadnavis said in the House.

Asked about Gaikwad's behaviour, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Eknath Shinde said if something wrong is happening, there could be legal action, but beating up people is inappropriate.

"I have told Sanjay Gaikwad that his actions were inappropriate. I will not endorse his actions," he added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray sought to link the slapping incident with purported differences between the Shiv Sena headed by Shinde and CM Fadnavis.

"Is this an attempt to malign the chief minister? He should be cautious," Thackeray replied cryptically when reporters sought his reaction on Gaikwad slapping an employee of the MLA's hostel canteen here for serving 'stale' food.

Amol Mitkari, MLC of Shiv Sena's ally NCP, said he did not endorse Gaikwad's action but the issues he raised were valid.

"The food quality at the canteen is poor. There should be some improvements," he said.

Despite the backlash, Gaikwad, known for his controversial statements, attempted to defend his behaviour, saying he was compelled to react in a "Shiv Sena style" due to unaddressed complaints about the food quality.

"I had complained about the poor quality of food two or three times earlier. This time the food was absolutely unacceptable. I will raise this issue in the ongoing legislature session," Gaikwad said asserting he has "no regret" about his actions.

Talking to reporters at the Vidhan Bhavan premises on Wednesday, a defiant Gaikwad said he has raised the issue of food quality (at the MLAs' hostel) several times, including with FDA Minister Narhari Zirwal.

"Zirwal told me he sent some samples for testing three months back and has not yet received the reports. Thousands of people visit the Akashwani MLA hostel during the legislature session with the hope of getting quality food, but the contractor never improved it," he said.

Gaikwad ordered dinner from the Akashwani MLA hostel canteen on Tuesday night and found the dal and rice delivered to his room to be stale and foul-smelling.

Angered by this, he reportedly stormed into the canteen to confront the manager. Eyewitnesses corroborated that he became furious and hit a canteen operator during the altercation.

The MLA claimed that by serving such food, the canteen operators were "playing with the lives of people." Asked why he hit the canteen staffer, Gaikwad said, "I am an MLA and a warrior. I lost control after my complaints remained unheard. Despite several complaints, if nobody pays attention, what should one do? Should I die? I have no regrets about my actions." Priyanka Chaturvedi, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member, also criticised Gaikwad's conduct.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, "Meet Shah Sena's MLA Sanjay Gaikwad... Now the man is seen beating up a poor helpless canteen worker. But wait no news TV outrage here since it's a BJP ally." No stranger to controversies, Gaikwad in September 2024 said he would give Rs 11 lakh to anyone chopping off Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's tongue for his remarks on scrapping the reservation system. The Buldhana police later registered a case against him.

In April 2025, he made some objectionable remarks on police, but expressed regret after being rebuked by Fadnavis.

Earlier, a video of Gaikwad thrashing a youth with a stick went viral in March last year. Gaikwad later said he beat up the youth as he was part of an anti-social gang and had hit a policeman.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.