A Shiv Sena lawmaker is seen forcing a roti into the mouth of a catering supervisor at the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi
Rajan Vichare, the Shiv Sena MP who was caught on camera force-feeding a man fasting for Ramzan, has justified his widely condemned action.
"I had no idea that he is a Muslim or he was observing roza. We are sad this happened as we have been voted by all communities and we attend iftars as MPs," he told NDTV.
Mr Vichare is seen shoving a roti into the mouth of a catering supervisor, Arshad Zubair, at the Maharashtra government's official guest house in Delhi, during a scuffle on Thursday last.
The incident has sparked nationwide outrage and calls for action against the MP, who was elected for the first time in the recent national election. The 48-year-old said he was only protesting against the poor quality of food.
"We were served food unfit for even animals. The curd is watery. The roti is like leather. You can't tear a roti with your hands, how can you eat it? I only asked the man to try the roti himself," he told NDTV.
"We asked him will he eat such rotten food? We never force-fed him," he added.
Mr Vichare said "crores" were spent into the guest house yet guests were served "fake mineral water" and "unhygienic food".
"We pay Rs 3,000 per night when a five-star hotel charges Rs 7,000," he complained. He accused the catering company, a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, and the Resident Commissioner of reducing the Sadan to a shambles.
When asked whether he thought these complaints justified his act of force-feeding the staffer, Mr Vichare said, "I only asked the man to try the roti. We stay in Maharashtra Sadan because it is our state's guest house. But the food is so bad we are forced to go to Gujarat and UP Bhawan."
The MP has in the past, faced a police complaint for allegedly manhandling a government employee. He has reportedly declared assets worth 10 crores before the election.