Online clamour for action against Ravindra Gaikwad who beat Air India staffer

PUNE: Clamour for action against Osmanabad MP Ravindra Gaikwad is growing online with several petitions being filed against him for manhandling a 60-year-old Air India staffer.
As many as 10 petitions have been started against the MP on ‘Change.org’. The latest, titled, “Action against violent MP Ravindra Gaikwad” addressed to the Prime Minister and home minister Rajnath Singh has garnered signatures from 14,798 people in just two days since its start.
Another petition titled, “Withdraw Privileges of Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad for attacking Air India Employee”, created on March 23, has drawn the support of 5,550 people. There are seven more petitions with the total number of signatures crossing more than 50,000.
People from the city too find his behaviour unacceptable. “How can he beat up a 60-year-old man who was just trying to do his job? Moreover, why should he crib just because he was made to sit in an economy class with common people who elect people like him? He should never be allowed to fly,” Adarsh Garg, a working professional, said.
Jayanti Ghodpade, who works with a call centre, said it was sad that Gaikwad had refused to apologise. “I too have signed one of the petitions,” she said.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Shiv Sena MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday and handed her a letter signed by Gaikwad in which he has requested that the “no fly” ban on him be lifted so that he can attend Parliament, said Sena’s Shirur MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil while speaking to TOI from Delhi.
“Gaikwad said in the letter that the ban has made him miss proceedings in Parliament. He has said investigations into the case can go on but the “no fly” ban on him should be lifted. The Speaker has assured that she will speak to the concerned people, including the civil aviation minister. We think that the issue will be sorted out in a day or two,” Patil said.