Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi has recently stirred the political arena with a significant statement.
Mumbai: Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction), has sparked a new debate in Maharashtra's politics. In a recent TV interview, she bly criticized the actions of Sanjay Gaikwad, an MLA from the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and called the comparison of his actions to an incident involving the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) as non-comparable.
Launching a sharp attack on the Shinde faction, Priyanka Chaturvedi stated that elected leaders are expected to show more responsibility and maturity, and when they publicly break the law or resort to violence, it cannot be ignored.
What is the matter?
A recently viral video showed Sanjay Gaikwad, an MLA from the Shinde faction, assaulting a government canteen employee. This incident remained a topic of discussion on social media, but no FIR was filed, nor did any major leader from the ruling party react to it.
Reacting to this issue, Priyanka Chaturvedi said in an interview to NDTV, "The person beating the canteen employee is an elected MLA of Maharashtra. He should have shown responsibility and maturity."
MNS versus Shinde Faction: Comparison is wrong
Recently, MNS workers attacked a shopkeeper, after which some people compared it to the Shinde faction's incident. Angered by this, Priyanka Chaturvedi clearly stated that the MNS incident was not about a language dispute but about the shopkeeper's behavior and respect. The police took immediate action, an FIR was filed, and the workers were arrested and presented in court. However, no action was taken against the MLA of the Shinde faction.
Targeting by giving the example of Kunal Kamra
Priyanka Chaturvedi, in the interview, mentioned famous stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and said that when he made a lighthearted joke about Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his supporters vandalized the studio. She said, "This is not the first time that the Shinde faction workers have created such chaos. This is happening repeatedly, and it clearly shows that those in power have no fear of the law."
Speaking on the alleged assault incident at the office of former Shiv Sena MP Rajan Vichare, Priyanka Chaturvedi said that this matter was related to a local dispute and not to language. A dispute arose over asking for a mobile connection from a Shiv Sena worker, who was called to the office and questioned, but the situation escalated." She also emphasized that "We are not justifying anyone's violent behavior, but it is necessary to understand the circumstances and facts of each incident. It is highly reprehensible that an MLA beats an employee and is defended."
Clarification on the language dispute
Priyanka Chaturvedi also reacted to the ongoing discourse on the language dispute. She explained that the Maharashtra government had recently made Hindi the third compulsory language from class 1, which Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray both opposed from the same platform. She said, "We are not against Hindi. Mumbai is the bhold of Hindi cinema, and there are more than one crore Hindi-speaking people in the state. But forcibly imposing any language is not appropriate. This is against the spirit of the Constitution."
