Reward Offer Sparks Political Clash: Gunaratna Sadavarte vs Shiv Sena
A fresh political controversy has erupted between Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) and advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte, after party activist Prashant Bhise announced a reward of ₹1 lakh for anyone who "slaps" Sadavarte. The announcement comes amid escalating tensions, as Shiv Sainiks accuse Sadavarte of making derogatory statements about the Marathi language and launching unwarranted attacks on Marathi pride.
In response, Gunaratna Sadavarte interacted with the media outlet Lokshahi Marathi, where he firmly denied all allegations, calling the campaign against him a "street-level political drama." He added, “I trust the police administration will act according to the law. Even though I am receiving repeated threats, the law will assign everyone their rightful place.”
Sadavarte also shifted the focus to the issue of educational inequality, claiming that his real battle is for the underprivileged. “The children of the rich get 12 credits, while poor children only get 5. This imbalance is unjust,” he said. Referring to Savitribai Phule, Mahatma Phule, and Saraswati Mata, Sadavarte emphasized that those obstructing education are enemies of social progress. He lamented that children from elite families study in English-medium schools, while those from poor backgrounds are limited to Zilla Parishad schools, leading to their disadvantage in competitive fields like MBBS and engineering.
Addressing the accusations related to Marathi language, Sadavarte clarified, “I have never insulted Marathi. These are false allegations intended to tarnish my image. First, they claimed the Constitution was in danger, now they’re using language as a tool to incite.” He also pointed out that Marathi is already compulsory as a third language, and cited Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s view in support of Hindi as a national language.
Ending his remarks on a deeply emotional note, Sadavarte said, “This is a battle for five marks—for the poor, the nomadic, the sugarcane workers, the Scheduled Castes, and the tribal children. Even if I lose my life, I won’t give up on their rights. If anything happens to me, I hold Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, and their party workers responsible.”
The controversy continues to stir heated political and social debate across Maharashtra, raising questions about freedom of expression, regional pride, and the role of politics in educational reform.