
When Shinde Sena MLA spewed a ‘South' slur
In the video, Gaikwad, a second-term MLA from Buldhana in Vidarbha, is seen forcing a hostel employee to sniff dal in a carrybag, before punching him. The staffer at the Akashwani MLA hostel, right opposite Mantralaya in south Mumbai, falls. Gaikwad claims his fists of fury were goaded by poor quality dal and stale food, alleging that the canteen management is a repeat offender. The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later inspected the canteen and suspended its licence.
Under fire for his lack of restraint, Gaikwad went on to burnish that point with a verbal volley on 'the attitude of people from the South'. The said community, he said, 'operated dance bars and ladies bars in Maharashtra' and 'ruined its culture and youth'. His pique apparently originates with the canteen contractor, said to be a Shetty from Karnataka. The recourse to nativist vocabulary was a transparent attempt to deflect focus from his own misdemeanour, and its effect is minimised by the fact that the speaker has earned some renown as an equal opportunity offender.Days earlier, he had made disparaging remarks about Chhatrapati Sambhaji, for which he had to apologise. In May, Gaikwad lashed out at the Maharashtra police, calling it 'the most inefficient police department in India and the world', with a compulsive penchant for 'hafta (extortion)' to boot. That had made even CM Devendra Fadnavis see red. Last September, Gaikwad offered Rs 11 lakh to anyone who would 'chop off the tongue' of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He also claimed to have killed a tiger and worn its tooth as a pendant. When AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel criticised Gaikwad for his canteen exploits, he threatened to assault Jaleel too.advertisementShinde is said to have upbraided Gaikwad. After three days of Opposition protests, Fadnavis stepped in and a suo moto non-cognisable case was filed by the Marine Drive police. But the man remains defiant for now.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Alleging irregularities in flower market leasing, AIADMK councillors walk out of Salem corpn meeting
SALEM: Alleging irregularities in the leasing process of the VOC Flower Market complex, AIADMK councillors led by party's leader of opposition in the council N Yadavamoorthy walked out of the Salem City Municipal Corporation's monthly council meeting, on Friday. The meeting was chaired by Mayor A Ramachandran, along with Deputy Mayor M Saradha Devi and Salem City Corporation Commissioner M Elangovan. The AIADMK councillors strongly opposed the corporation's move to lease the flower market shops directly to vendors. The complex, developed under the Smart City project under the AIADMK regime, was originally leased to a private party. After the private party withdrew from the contract, the corporation invited fresh tenders and decided to handle the leasing by itself. AIADMK councillors said the corporation is now demanding advance payments of up to Rs 8 lakh and monthly rents of up to Rs 20,000 from vendors. They argued that such high costs would be unaffordable for small flower sellers who have been operating at the market for decades.


Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
1984 anti-Sikh riots: CFSL couldn't decipher 40-yr-old illegible FIR in Kanpur, UP tells SC
New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government informed the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday that the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) has been unable to decipher the contents of an over 40-year-old illegible FIR linked to the Kanpur 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The Uttar Pradesh government informed the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday that the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) has been unable to decipher the contents of an over 40-year-old illegible FIR linked to the Kanpur 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. A bench comprising justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi took note of the affidavit filed by the state government and directed the investigating agencies to bring the matter back before the court once they are able to obtain a decipherable copy of the FIR. The court observed that if an expert body like the CFSL could not decode the FIR, no further action could be taken. However, it added that if the agencies were able to procure a clear copy of the document, the court would issue further directions. In its order, the bench noted that the CFSL report revealed the FIR in question was highly fragmented, with only two Hindi words partially legible. 'Except for these two words, the rest of the content is indecipherable,' the report stated. The bench added: 'No effective action in furtherance of the FIR can be taken at this stage. However, as and when the agencies are able to obtain a material copy, the matter shall be brought to the notice of this court without delay.' This FIR is part of a set of nine FIRs being investigated by the special investigation team (SIT), which has been revisiting the cases after 35 years. These cases were initially closed due to a lack of evidence. The Supreme Court was hearing a plea to reopen investigations into the killings of around 130 Sikhs in Kanpur during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Previously, the court had directed for the expedited trial of 11 cases related to the riots, in which chargesheets were filed following the reinvestigation of the cases. On Friday, the court was also informed that the Allahabad high court had stayed proceedings in several of these cases, causing delays in the trial process and denying timely justice to the victims' families after more than three decades. The bench expressed concern over the high court's decision to stay proceedings in three of the 11 cases, noting that the trials had begun only after chargesheets were filed by the SIT. 'While we do not wish to impact the right of a suspect or accused to avail their remedy, including quashing of the chargesheet, we request that the high court may take up these matters out of turn for adjudication in accordance with the law,' the bench said. The court emphasised that the 1984 tragedy occurred four decades ago and it was only through the Supreme Court's repeated interventions that the investigations were revived. The bench further pointed out that as time passed, securing key witnesses had become increasingly difficult. Ruchira Goel, standing counsel for the Uttar Pradesh government, informed the court that in four criminal appeals against acquittals in the Allahabad High Court, the delay in proceedings had been condoned. The appeals are now being actively pursued by the advocate general's office. The SC urged the Uttar Pradesh government to assign experienced criminal law officers to assist the high court in the pending criminal appeals. 'We wish to impress upon the advocate general to deploy the best state law officers for this purpose,' the bench stated. The state counsel was directed to ensure the high court receives a copy of the Supreme Court's order, and the matter was adjourned until September 15.


Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Indian-origin entrepreneur who served chai to PM Modi, PM Starmer opens up about his ‘surreal day'
Akhil Patel, a London-based Indian-origin founder of a tea company who served chai to PM Modi and PM Starmer during the Indian leader's recent visit to the UK, has opened up about his 'surreal experience.' In an Instagram post, he recalled how he felt once he saw the world leaders walking towards his stall to have tea instead of coffee. Indian-origin entrepreneur Akhil Patel serving tea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. (X/@narendramodi, X/amala_chai) 'A quick recap of a surreal day. Yesterday, I was invited by @10downingstreet to serve chai at Chequers — to @narendramodi , @keirstarmer, and Indian & UK ministers. Can we just take a moment to realise how mad that is?' the entrepreneur posted on his company Amala Chai's official Instagram page. 'There I was, in the UK Prime Minister's house, serving masala chai — and not one person wanted coffee,' he continued. 'From one chaiwala to another, that was a special day. Right… I'm getting off the internet now to make a cup of chai,' he added. Who is Akhil Patel? A London School of Economics graduate, Patel started his career as a data analyst. However, he shifted his career from corporate employee to entrepreneur in 2019 after founding Amala Chai. He started his company after being inspired by his grandmother and her love for tea. The company claims to procure all the materials it sells directly from 'small family farms in Assam and Kerala.' PM Modi's recent UK visit: In a statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs said, 'During his official visit to the United Kingdom from 23-24 July 2025, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met today with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rt. Hon. Sir Keir Starmer. On arrival at the UK Prime Minister's country residence at Chequers in Buckinghamshire, he was warmly received by Prime Minister Starmer. The two leaders held a one-on-one meeting as well as delegation level talks.'