Reported by Shailesh Gaikwad | Written by Sharmita Kar
Amid an ongoing border row between Karnataka and Maharashtra, speculations about an apparent request by Maharashtra governor BS Koshyari to resign from his post surfaced. However, a Raj Bhavan spokesperson on Monday denied the claims, saying, “Such reports are baseless.”
The rumours sprouted days after former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray attacked Koshyari over an alleged insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and demanded his resignation.
The Maharashtra governor has been under fire for calling Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj – a Maratha warrior seen as a transcendental figure – an icon of “olden days”.
Koshyari made the comments during an address at a function at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad.
“If someone asks who your idol is, you don’t have to go out looking for one. You will find them right here in Maharashtra. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has become an old idol now, you can find new ones – from Babasaheb Ambedkar to (Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways) Nitin Gadkari,” he had said.
“Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been consistently insulting icons from the state. I appeal to the people from various political parties to unite against him and mount pressure on the Union government to recall the governor.” Uddhav Thackeray had responded to the remarks, during a presser.
The comments even led to protests in Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, and Aurangabad – led by the Maha Vikas Agadi – demanding the removal of the governor.