Sena MLA says he wants to stuff coronavirus in Fadnavis' mouth

Buldhana, April 19

Amid a row over Remdesivir supply in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad has said he wishes he could "stuff coronavirus in the mouth" of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, sparking protests by the opposition.

The Shiv Sena which leads the three-party ruling alliance in the state is targeting the former chief minister for objecting to Mumbai police grilling a pharma company's director over stocking thousands of vials of Remdesivir, in high demand for treating coronavirus patients.

"Had I found coronavirus, I would have stuffed it in the mouth of Fadnavis," Gaikwad said.

Talking to reporters on Saturday, Gaikwad, an MLA from Buldhana, asked what would Fadnavis have done if he was the chief minister during the pandemic.

Instead of supporting state ministers, BJP leaders are mocking them and want the state government to fail, he said.

The Centre asked Remdesivir manufacturing companies in Maharashtra not to supply the drug to the state, he claimed.

Following Gaikwad's remarks, BJP workers staged protests against him in Buldhana on Sunday and burnt the MLA's effigy. PTI