Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad is in trouble again over allegedly threatening a publisher from Kolhapur.
The publisher, Prashant Ambi, alleged that Gaikwad called him at night and threatened him, saying, "You will end like Pansare." The reference was to the way in which Govind Pansare, a senior CPI leader and rationalist thinker, was shot dead in Kolhapur in 2015.
Pansare had authored Shivaji Kon Hota, a popular book which portrayed Shivaji as a secular and just king and not as a Hindu king. The book was first published in 1988 and has been reprinted several times.
According to Ambi, Gaikwad called him past midnight on April 22 and spoke for about nine minutes, objecting to the book’s title, which does not use honorifics such as “Chhatrapati” and “Maharaj”.
In a written complaint to the Rajarampuri police station, Ambi alleged that Gaikwad used “highly obscene and abusive language” and issued threats during the call.
Senior minister and BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil advised Gaikwad not to dig up issues from the past.
The Congress, on the other hand, has demanded strict action against Gaikwad and urged Chief Minister Fadnavis to personally look into the issue.
Gaikwad has claimed that the voice in the viral audio clip was his, but the clip had been edited and distorted for use against him.
Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar has written a letter to Chief Minister Fadnavis on this issue. Wadettiwar stated that such language from an elected representative is 'highly condemnable' and undermines democratic values. He stressed that the mention of the killing of Pansare, a noted rationalist and senior CPI leader, makes the threat particularly serious and raises concerns about the rule of law in the state.
The Congress leader also highlighted that Prakash Ambi has been actively working to disseminate the progressive ideas associated with Shivaji through his publications. He warned that the publisher’s life could be at risk and urged the government to provide him with immediate police protection.
This is not the first time that Gaikwad has courted controversy. Last year, he had declared a prize for any person who slashed Rahul Gandhi's tongue. Gaikwad had also beaten up a waiter in the canteen of the MLA hostel in Mumbai for allegedly serving dal which had gone spoilt.