After airlines ban on Gaikwad, should CM face similar action for beating of farmer: Raut

Following the ban by major airlines on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, party leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday questioned whether the Maharashtra Chief Minister should be similarly banned from travelling after a farmer was beaten up outside his office.

Major airlines have banned Gaikwad from flying after he assaulted an Air India staffer on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters at a function here, Raut referred to an incident at the state secretariat on the same day where a farmer was allegedly beaten up by security guards outside the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s office.

“When a farmer was beaten up outside CM’s office, are you going to ban the CM from travelling? Without carrying out any inquiry into Gaikwad’s behaviour, he should not have been banned by airlines. Shiv Sena does not endorse his actions but procedure should be followed,” Raut said.

Also read: Hitting anybody can never be the culture of the Sena: Raut on AI staffer assault case

“There should be investigation of both Gaikwad’s actions as well as the behaviour of Air India officials. Let the ethics committee (of Parliament) conduct inquiry in Gaikwad’s case,” said Raut, a Rajya Sabha member.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who was also present at the function, refused to face questions on the issue.

Senior Shiv Sena leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi also refused to comment.

Also read: Air India staffer assault case: Sena MP Gaikwad to meet Uddhav Thackeray