Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 30: The Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari is at the receiving end with the opposition lashing out at him for allegedly “insulting” the Marathis, and the chief minister Eknath Shinde dumping him asking the governor to handle the situation on his own.
The most stringent attack came from the Shiv Sena chief and the former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray who did not miss the opportunity to give it back to Koshiyari the hurdles he faced from the governor as the head of the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi government. A BJP card holder before he was made the governor, Koshiyari had tried to create problems for the MVA government as much as his gubernatorial post allowed him to since Koshiyari was unhappy over the Sena refusing to hold the hands of the BJP and tied up with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress to form the MVA government.
Launching a blistering attack on the governor, Thackeray accused him of “dividing” Hindus and said it was time for the government to think whether to “send him home or to jail. An embarrassed chief minister Eknath Shinde said he did not support Koshiyari’s comments and he must fend for himself to wriggle out of the situation.
During a speech on Friday, the Maharashtra governor had said, “If Gujaratis and Rajasthanis are removed from Maharashtra, especially Mumbai and Thane, no money would be left here,” adding that Mumbai would not remain the financial capital of the country in such a situation, Koshiyari had said, “I often tell people here, that in Maharashtra, especially in Thane and Mumbai, if you ask Gujaratis and Rajasthanis to leave, no money will be left. Mumbai will no longer be the financial capital of the country,” Koshiyari, who hails from Rajasthan, had said.
After backlash from the opposition, Shinde said these were the Governor’s personal comments and he did not support them. “We don’t agree with Koshiyari’s view (on Mumbai). It’s his personal view. He has now issued a clarification. He occupies a constitutional post and should take care that his actions are not insulting to others.” he said, adding that, “the Marathi community’s hard work has contributed to the development and progress of Mumbai. It is an important city with immense potential. Despite people from all over the country making it their home, Marathi people have preserved their identity and pride and it shouldn’t be insulted.”
Demanding an apology from Koshiyari, Thackeray said his remarks was an insult to ‘Marathi Manoos’ (Marathi speaking sons of the soil) and Marathi pride. “The government should decide whether to send him back home or to prison,” fumed Mr Thackeray.
“The Governor is the messenger of the President, he takes the words of the President throughout the country. But if he does the same mistakes then who will take action against him? He has insulted the Marathis and their pride,” Thackeray further said. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut condemned the remarks saying that the Governor had insulted the hard-working Marathi people. “Soon after the BJP-sponsored Chief Minister came to power, the Marathi man is getting insulted,” Mr Raut tweeted in Marathi.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray, who had welcomed Shinde faction of the Sena joining hands with the BJP to form the new government, also lashed out at Koshiyari and tweeted, “With the elections around the corner, one should not spread any rumours. Do not assume that we are innocent to believe this. Do not fool the Marathi manoos.”
Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Sachin Sawant also tweeted the video and said the governor should not have made the remarks. “His name is Bhagat Singh ‘Koshiyari’, but as a governor, there is not a bit of ‘hoshiyari’ (smartness) in what he says and does. He is sitting on the chair only because he faithfully obeys the command of ‘we two’,” Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh tweeted apparently referring to Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The opposition refused to accept the governor’s “clarifications” on his comments. As his remarks kicked up the row, the Governor on Saturday said his comments were misconstrued and added that he had “no intention of belittling the hard work of Marathi-speaking people.” Koshiyari clarified that he “spoke only on the contribution made by Gujaratis and Rajasthanis. Marathi people built Maharashtra by working hard.” “The contribution of Marathis is the maximum in bringing up Maharashtra. Mumbai is the pride of Maharashtra.” A release issued by the Raj Bhavan said Koshiyari only praised the contribution of Rajasthani-Marwari and Gujarati communities in making Mumbai the financial capital of the country.
Addressing a press conference at his residence ‘Matoshree’, Uddhav Thackeray said, “The hatred that the governor harbours in his mind against Marathi people has inadvertently come out.” He demanded that the Governor tender an apology to the Marathi people.
Accusing the Governor of not fulfilling his duty of treating everyone equally, Thackeray alleged that Koshiyari has also committed an offence of creating a divide among Hindus. “The Governor tried to create a divide among the Hindus, who have been living peacefully for generations in the state irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. Time has come to decide whether to send Koshiyari back home or to jail…In the last three years, he has insulted Marathi-speaking people despite staying in Maharashtra. Now through these comments, he has brought disrespect to the governor’s post,” Thackeray alleged.
During the 1992 riots, Shiv Sena had saved Hindus in Thane and Mumbai, but that time it did not see whether they were Marathi people or non-Marathi, he added. “I want to say that I do not want to insult the governor’s post, because it is a big post. But the person occupying that post should also maintain its glory,” he added.
The Sena chief said Marathi people were angry with the governor over his remarks as Mumbai was not gifted by him to Maharashtra, but it was earned through the sacrifices made during the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement. “He has insulted the Marathi-speaking people staying in Maharashtra…There is a need to show the world-famous ‘Kolhapuri joda‘ (leather sandals made in Kolhapur) to him,” he added. He also alleged that though some people were sitting in Delhi, they are keeping an eye on Mumbai, and its wealth is the reason behind it, which the Governor has publicly said. Thackeray took a dig at the governor saying that sometimes he becomes overactive, while sometimes he does not move at all. Pointing out that Koshiyari has not yet filled 12 vacant seats in the state Legislative Council from his quota, he said if he does not feel that these posts are vacant, he should inform the president and get these posts abolished. Thackeray also accused the governor of making “weird” and “derogatory” remarks about social reformer Savitribai Phule. The former chief minister said when he was fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and people were dying, the governor wanted the places or religious worship to be reopened.
