The controversial comment of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday put the BJP further on the mat. Breaking the silence for the first time, Eknath Shinde group demanded the resignation of the Governor.
As the situation started becoming out of control, the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari stepped in to say “Shivaji Maharaj is our god…We revere him even more than our parents,”
Earlier, an MLA from Maharashtra’s ruling Sena faction Sanjay Gaikwad said, “Ship him out.” He said, “The Governor should understand that the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never age and he cannot be compared to any other great person in the world,” Sanjay Gaikwad said.
“I request all the central leaders of BJP that a Governor who does not know the history of this place or how it functions — there will be no benefit in keeping such a person…
That’s why it is our demand that a person from the Marathi soil be made the Governor. Send Koshyari wherever you want,” said the MLA, who represents the Buldhana Assembly constituency.
He even made it clear that this issue, if not addressed, might become the nucleus of a rift between the ruling allies.
“Central seniors should take note that due to governor, differences will be created between the two parties,” read a rough translation of his tweet in Marathi.
Chhatrapati Shivaji, the 17th Century Maratha ruler, is an emotive issue in Maharashtra and Mr Koshyari’s remark — that he is “an icon of olden days” — has incensed many.
The row over Shivaji erupted on Saturday after Koshyari referred to him as a ‘hero of the past era’. “When we were in school teachers would ask us about our favourite leaders… Maharashtra is full of such tall leaders… Shivaji has become hero of the past era,” he said, naming union minister Nitin Gadkari as a contemporary ‘hero’.
The remarks were hugely criticised by Uddhav Thackeray faction and the Congress and NCP as well. Thackeray group has been particularly vocal, taking repeated digs at the Team Shinde, which toppled Mr Thackeray’s government earlier this year with the backing of the BJP.
An editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamna asked the BJP — which has been protesting against Congress’s Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Veer Savarkar — to spell out its stand on the Governor’s remarks.
“Just like Rahul Gandhi, Governor’s statement also cannot be called his ‘personal opinion’. People of Maharashtra also have a ‘personal opinion’ that whoever insults Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will have to apologize in front of the state,” the editorial said.
In a huge row over Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s comments on Shivaji, and its impact on the state’s ruling alliance, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari broke his silence and stepped in with words aimed at appeasing ally Eknath Shinde.
“Shivaji Maharaj is our god…We revere him even more than our parents,” Mr Gadkari said.
Two days ago, it was Mr Gadkari whom Governor Koshyari had complimented while describing Shivaji as an outdated icon.
“’Earlier, when you were asked who your icon is, the answers would be Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi. In Maharashtra, you need not look elsewhere (as) there are so many icons here. While Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is icon of the olden days, now there are BR Ambedkar and Nitin Gadkari,” the Maharashtra Governor had said on Saturday.