Shiv Sena MLA offers Rs 11 lakh for chopping off Rahul Gandhi's tongue; MVA hits back

Mumbai : A ruling ally Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad on Monday announced a bounty of Rs 11 lakh to anybody who can chop off Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's tongue, sparking a huge row with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) hitting back at him.

Gaikwad's controversial offer came vis-a-vis Rahul Gandhi's comments on the quota system in India, during his recent visit to the US, that ignited a furore in the country's political circles.

"When he was in the US, Rahul Gandhi said that he will finish off the reservation system (in education and jobs) in India. He has exposed the real face of the Congress," claimed Gaikwad.

He alleged that the Leader of the Opposition's remarks on reservations revealed the mindset of the party that has always been opposed to quotas, when many communities like Marathas, Dhangars and others are struggling for reservation.

"By this, the Congress had defeated B.R. Ambedkar's ideals in the (Lok Sabha 2024) elections. It is the biggest treachery on the people of India. I will give a reward of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who can chop off Rahul Gandhi's tongue," declared Gaikwad.

He accused the Congress and Rahul Gandhi of displaying the Constitution but running a fake narrative that the BJP would change the Constitution, though it is actually the Congress which is plotting to take the country back by 400 years, Gaikwad said.

Gaikwad's comments met with strong reactions from the MVA allies Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) who slammed the MahaYuti government, even as ruling ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) distanced itself from the matter.

Maharashtra unit BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that he does not endorse or support the Shiv Sena MLA's statements.

However, he said that India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, had opposed quotas on grounds that it would hit progress and Rahul Gandhi wants to end the reservation.

Congress' Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar condemned the remarks and called upon Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis to lodge a case against Gaikwad.

"The Shinde Shiv Sena is not even worthy of taking Rahul Gandhi's name… Gaikwad is nothing more than a traitor MLA from a stolen party. It is clear that in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, the people of the state will teach a lesson to Shinde and all his MLAs," said Wadettiwar.

Congress Legislative Party Leader Balasaheb Thorat said that Gaikwad's statement against Rahul Gandhi mirrors "the attitude of the assassins of Mahatma Gandhi".

"The threats to kill Rahul Gandhi who is Leader of Opposition will not deter him… the conspiracy to discredit him by putting words in his mouth will never succeed. Nobody dares touch even Rahul Gandhi's hair as crores of Congress workers are his protective shield," said Thorat.

He called upon the government that if there is even an iota of law left in the state, it should immediately take action against Gaikwad for his "poisonous remarks".

Shiv Sena-UBT's Sushma Andhare and Kishore Tiwari also slammed the MahaYuti government for Gaikwad's utterances and asked Fadnavis to take strong action against him.