Now, BJP MP wants Rahul Gandhi’s tongue to be scalded

Yashomati Thakur, Congress MLA (right) Anil Bonde, BJP MP

Days after Shinde Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad declared a bounty of Rs 11 lakh for chopping off Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's tongue, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Anil Bonde said on Wednesday that the Opposition leader's tongue should not be cut off but scalded because he had remarked on the country's reservation system.

"There is no need to talk about chopping off Rahul Gandhi's tongue, but whatever he has said about reservation is horrific. If someone goes overseas and speaks absurdities, his tongue should not be cut off but scalded. Doing so is extremely essential - be it, Rahul Gandhi, [editor and activist] Dnyanesh Maharao or [anti-superstition activist] Shyam Manav," he said in Amravati.

A doctor by training, Bonde is a former Maharashtra minister who was defeated in the 2019 Assembly election and later rehabilitated in the Upper House. He had courted controversy before because of his objectionable remarks.

Local Congress MLA and former minister Yashomati Thakur came down heavily on Bonde, saying, "I would have understood if this came from an idiot, but this man is a doctor and yet he made such a loose statement. I think he has lost his mental balance and should be treated for the ailment."

"Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who encourages such people, should control such acts. Does Bonde want riots in peaceful Maharashtra?" she asked.

State Congress president Nana Patole challenged Fadnavis to act against Bonde. "A literate member of Rajya Sabha is speaking like this. It exposes the arrogance of BJP leaders," he added.

Gaikwad booked

The police in Buldhana on Monday registered a case against Gaikwad for his inflammatory remarks against Gandhi, who had commented about scrapping the reservation system.

The case was filed under Section 351(2), among others, of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, according to officials. Earlier in the day, Congress workers staged a sit-in protest at Buldhana City police station, demanding swift action against Gaikwad.

(with inputs from agencies)