Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari kicked up a controversy on Saturday by what was viewed by many Maharashtrians as an insult to them “so that he could please his political masters in Delhi’’. The Governor while addressing a gathering said that Mumbai would cease to be the financial capital of the country if the Gujaratis and Rajasthanis (Marwaris) were to leave the city. Although he later tried to do course correction by stating that he had the highest regard for all the people, the damage had been done and provided the Shiv Sena, a political point to attack the newly formed government. Koshyari’s statement virtually meant that Mumbai’s primary position in India was on account of the Gujaratis and Marwaris contribution to its economy which had little to do with people from Maharashtra. Uddhav Thackeray was quick to respond and accused the Governor of attempting to divide the Hindus in the State. He demanded that he should be recalled or sacked as he had let down the people of the State despite eating their food for the past three years. The MNS Chief Raj Thackeray warned Koshyari and asked him not to provoke the Maharashtrians. The newly elected Chief Minister Eknath Shinde while realizing the wide ramifications the statement could have, tried to distance himself from the Governor’s views while deputy CM, Devendra Fadnavis made an effort to perform a balancing act by stating that people from various communities including Gujaratis and Rajasthanis had helped the Maharashtrians in making Mumbai the Financial capital of the country. The NCP which does not have a vote bank in Mumbai was quick to also jump into the battle and criticized the Governor for insulting the Maharashtrians. The reason for the Governor who himself has been the Chief Minister of a state (Uttrakhand) making such a statement is not fully known, but he is obviously not familiar with the evolution of Mumbai, which was the first cosmopolitan city of the country, much before Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and some other places achieved this distinction. When one looks at Bombay as it was originally known, the Parsis, the Gujaratis, the Sindhis, the Punjabis, the South Indians, the Marwaris and of course the Maharashtrians played a major role in its metamorphosis. The contribution of the Film Industry to the city is also immense which allowed people from all over to come and shine, regardless of their background but through sheer talent. The Shiv Sena was originally founded to reclaim the city for the Maharashtrians and its first agitation was against the South Indians and the Gujaratis though later on it also started targeting North Indians, particularly people from the Poorvanchal region, who are in large numbers in this metropolis. Thus, at a time when there is a struggle for the control of the Shiv Sena, with Shinde faction staking its claim, the Governor’s statement has nothing but bad timing all over it. Moreover, it is not acceptable to the people who live in Mumbai. The moral of the story is that Governors of various States including Maharashtra should not try and delve into politics of the region and should confine themselves to doing duties assigned to them under the constitution. Insulting any community or region is not a part of their brief. The Centre should take note of this transgression and advise Koshyari accordingly. There is no place for pursuing divisive agendas in this country and this applies to all.