New Delhi: An insensitive comment by Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, amid worsening drought situation in Maharashtra, has forth a political storm, with opposition parties vehemently condemning his remarks.The Buldhana MLA, speaking at a press conference in Maharashtra on Tuesday (October 27) said, “No one should attend the funerals of farmers who die by suicide so that their souls don’t find peace.” He added that only when “animals eat their bodies”, will they “learn a lesson and stop taking their own lives.”Gaikwad went on to claim that farmers should approach the government, or their local MP or MLA, in case of difficulty. “Everyone will help you,” he said, according to PTI, “But by taking your own life and leaving your children helpless, you are, in a way, punishing them.”The inherent sociopolitical ignorance apparent in his statements has drawn the ire of the opposition, which brutally slammed the ruling government.In a post on X, the Maharashtra Congress wrote, “Farmers do not commit suicide out of arrogance; this plight befalls them due to the government’s policies and the system’s failures. Today, with the state facing a drought-like situation, instead of supporting the farmers, to mock their sorrow – is this your responsibility as a ruling people’s representative?”Adding that providing farmers with the aid demanded by them, Rs 1 lakh per hectare, would have been a massive support in helping them recover from financial crises, as opposed to the meagre sum of Rs 5,000 announcement by the government. The post further described the announced aid as “rubbing salt into the farmers’ wounds.”शेतकऱ्यांच्या मृत्यूवरही इतकी निर्दयी भाषा?संजय गायकवाड, शेतकऱ्यांचे मृतदेह जनावरांनी खावेत, असं बोलताना थोडीतरी माणुसकी वाटली नाही का?शेतकरी हौसेने आत्महत्या करत नाहीत; सरकारी धोरणं आणि व्यवस्थेच्या अपयशामुळे त्यांच्यावर ही वेळ येते. आज राज्यात दुष्काळी परिस्थिती असताना शेतकऱ्यांना आधार देण्याऐवजी त्यांच्या दुःखाची अवहेलना करणं, ही सत्ताधारी लोकप्रतिनिधी म्हणून तुमची जबाबदारी आहे का?राज्य सरकारने जाहीर केलेली तुटपुंजी ५,००० रुपयांची मदत म्हणजे शेतकऱ्यांच्या जखमेवर मीठ चोळण्यासारखं आहे. शेतकऱ्यांच्या मागणीनुसार माणुसकी दाखवून हेक्टरी १ लाख रुपयांची मदत दिली असती, तर त्यांना आर्थिक संकटातून सावरण्यासाठी मोठा आधार मिळाला असता.शेतकऱ्यांना उपदेश नको, न्याय हवा!अपमान नको, सन्मान हवा!— Maharashtra Congress (@INCMaharashtra) October 29, 2026Gaikwad has been at the centre of controversies earlier as well. In February 2024, the MLA had claimed that he had hunted a tiger in 1987. Later, in 2025, he had slapped a canteen staff member for serving stale food at the MLA hostel in Mumbai.Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde had maintained their silence on the issue.