Sindhu Jha
NEW DELHI: Much along expected lines, controversial Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had to go; largely because of his tumultuous relationship with the tri-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), both when it was in and out of power in the state.
Because of his actions and statements, even the Maharashtra BJP had to face embarrassment. A few weeks back, Koshyari reportedly met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed his desire to step down.
Jharkhand Governor and former Union minister Ramesh Bais has now taken the charge of Raj Bhawan in Mumbai as the new Governor of Maharashtra. While accepting the resignation of Koshyari and Ladakh Lt-Governor Radha Krishnan Mathur, President Droupadi Murmu on February 12 appointed Governors in 12 states and a Union Territory. Of the 13, Meghalaya and Nagaland are election-bound states.
Several controversies
In Maharashtra, Koshyari was always in the eye of the storm and faced several controversies during his tenure. Recently, he sparked a row by calling Chhatrapati Shivaji a “hero of the past era”, during a convocation address in Aurangabad. He also said that Shivaji would have been nothing without his guru Samarth Ramdas. Maratha organisations and Opposition leaders had condemned the remarks and demanded his recall as the Governor.
Last year, Koshiyari had claimed Mumbai would no longer be the financial capital of the country if Gujaratis and Marwaris were not part of the state.
Koshyari not only withdrew President’s rule as soon as he took over as the Governor of Maharashtra in September 2019, he even called up for swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar as his Deputy, early in the morning in November 2019. He courted a controversy after he forced Congress minister KC Padvi to take oath again. He even lost his cool during the oathtaking ceremony of MVA ministers.
Opposition jubilant
Finally, the controversial saga of Koshyari has come to an end and the Opposition in the state has welcomed the move of the Central Government. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar said Maharashtra is relieved with the exit of Koshyari but the decision should have been taken much earlier.
“Maharashtra is relieved now. It is a very good decision, but it should have been taken much earlier. In its history, Maharashtra had never seen such a person in the Governor’s post. I am content with the Union Government’s decision,” he told reporters. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress Party also expressed similar views.
