Shooting From The Lip

Gung-ho legislators and their over-the-top reactions. And, all are from Maharashtra

- Niranjan Takle

They are outspoken and have their agenda. And, a way of presenting it, too. All of them have hit the headlines as uncommon representatives of the people.

Ravindra V. Gaikwad of the Shiv Sena shocked his constituents and the country when he slapped an Air India employee in late March. He told the media that he had hit the staffer 25 times with his slipper. Six airlines put him on their no-fly lists. The Lok Sabha member, from Osmanabad in drought-hit Marathwada, was initially unrepentant. His party interrupted Parliament and threatened to ground all outbound flights from Mumbai.

Eventually, Gaikwad wrote to Ashok Gajapati Raju, Union minister for civil aviation, regretting “the unfortunate incident that took place on March 23, 2017, in the Air India Flight No. AI-852, seat no. 1F”. Gaikwad’s grouse was that he had been given a business class boarding pass, but was seated in economy class.

“I was told the flight doesn’t have a business class,” he told THE WEEK. “Why was I then given a business class boarding pass? The officer was very rude when I tried to question him. If a common man had slapped the officer for the same issue, the same media would have praised him.” He said the whole controversy got media attention just because he was from the Shiv Sena.

He’s got company. The Shiv Sena’s Rajan Vichare, MP from Thane, had kicked up a ruckus over the bad food in Maharashtra Sadan, Delhi. The protest made headlines because he allegedly forced a Muslim staffer, who was fasting during Ramzan, to eat chapati. The staffer said Vichare abused and threatened everyone on duty.