MUMBAI, October 30 (Aalimi Nation) – Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MLA Sanjay Gaikwad is facing criticism from farmer leaders and opposition parties over remarks about farmers who die by suicide, with reports that the party leadership is considering action against him.

Gaikwad, who represents Buldhana, made the comments at a press conference in the district earlier this week. The date is given as October 27 in some accounts and October 28 in others. He was responding to a question about farmer suicides at a time when Maharashtra is facing drought conditions.

Gaikwad said people should not attend the funerals of farmers who die by suicide. According to published accounts of the press conference, he said farmers would "learn a lesson" and stop taking their own lives only when animals ate their bodies. The wording has been widely condemned.

He also told distressed farmers to approach the government, or their local MLA or MP, for help. "Everyone will help you," he said, according to the accounts. "But by taking your own life and leaving your children helpless, you are, in a way, punishing them."

The Maharashtra Congress said in a post on X that "farmers do not commit suicide out of arrogance," and blamed government policies and systemic failures. It also called the state's announced aid of Rs 5,000 "rubbing salt into the farmers' wounds," noting that farmers had demanded Rs 1 lakh per hectare.

Farmer leader Raju Shetti and Ajit Navale of the Kisan Sabha also condemned the remarks, and Shetti demanded an apology from Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the party. Sanjay Nirupam, a Shiv Sena spokesperson, said public representatives must be sensitive, pointing to the drought in Maharashtra.

A report published on Friday, citing a Marathi newspaper, said Shinde had directed action against Gaikwad and that a suspension from the party might be decided. It quoted Shinde as saying farmers are "annadata", or food providers, and that insulting remarks about them would not be tolerated. Another report said Gaikwad had been rebuked by the party chief. No official party order or statement announcing any action had been confirmed at the time of writing, and Gaikwad's response to the criticism was not available.

The same report said party leaders and workers feel the remark hurts the party's image, as Shiv Sena is running a drought-relief drive that includes distributing sewing machines and bicycles and sending grain trucks.s

Gaikwad has been in the news for his statements before. In 2025, he was involved in an altercation in which he slapped a canteen employee at the MLA hostel in Mumbai over the quality of food. In an earlier episode over remarks about the police, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had warned of action if such comments continued, and Gaikwad expressed regret.

The party is expected to decide whether to take disciplinary action. Farmer groups have said they will keep pressing for an apology, while the opposition has sought a response from the state government on drought relief. Chief Minister Fadnavis and Shinde had not publicly commented on the remarks at the time of writing.

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