‘He insulted Maharashtra, violated Constitution’: Opposition hails exit of Governor BS Koshyari

Accepting Koshyari’s resignation, President Droupadi Murmu appointed Ramesh Bais as the new state governor after relieving him of his duties as Jharkhand governor.

Welcoming the development, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said the people of Maharashtra had been seeking Koshyari’s ouster for more than a year. “Yet, the central government refused to heed the request… It did not recommend the removal of the governor. The people here have been hurt badly by the utterances of Koshyari who had made disparaging remarks against national icons. He insulted national icons not just once, but repeatedly. There were protests across the state. Even BJP MPs used strong words against it, but the Modi government took no initiative to remove him,” he said.

Raut added that throughout his tenure, Koshyari behaved more like a political leader than the governor of the state. “He worked under pressure from the BJP. He took directives from top BJP leadership and worked to suit their convenience. He acted against the Opposition government in the state.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA and former minister Aaditya Thackeray tweeted, “Big win for Maharashtra! The resignation of anti Maharashtra Governor has finally been accepted! He, who constantly insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Pule & Savitri bai Phule, our Constitution, Assembly & democratic ideals, cannot be accepted as a Governor!”

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state president Jayant Patil said, “The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had raised the demand to remove the governor who disrespected the state’s icons and worked against the Constitution by officiating the swearing-in ceremony of an unconstitutional government. Therefore, we welcome the news of the arrival of the new governor,” adding, “We hope the new governor will not be the BJP’s puppet like the previous one.”

Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said, “The governor’s exit will end the protests that have been taking place across Maharashtra for months. During his tenure, governor Koshyari kept making controversial statements and did not cooperate with the Opposition’s government. Before becoming the governor, he was an active politician of the BJP and even later he tried to do the same.”

Chavan said Koshyari blatantly refused to approve 12 names recommended by the MVA government for appointment as MLCs. “He was clearly doing it at the instance of his political bosses. And thereby he was trampling upon the Constitution. A governor is not expected to behave like a political leader or take orders from political leaders, but Koshyari did that openly.”

NCP leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule said, “I heartily welcome the ouster of governor Koshyari. Better late than never. After a long time, the BJP government and ED sarkar have taken a good step. The governor repeatedly insulted Maharashtra and the people of Maharashtra and hurt the self-respect of Maharashtrians. He insulted national icons and it badly hurt the people of Maharashtra who will never forgive him.”

Sule alleged that an invisible hand or power worked behind Koshyari. “The NCP always respected him. We expected him to work within the framework of the Constitution, but he did exactly the opposite. He left no stone unturned to insult Maharashtra,” she said.

NCP state youth president Mahebub Shaikh on Sunday morning asked his workers to celebrate Koshyari’s removal by distributing sweets near the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in their respective towns.

BJP leader and Union Minister Raosaheb Dane, however, said, “The governor behaved as per the Constitution. No directions were given to him from the top. Since he was following the Constitution, the then MVA government did not like it. Just because he took his time over the appointment of 12 MLCs, does not mean he was violating the Constitution.”

–with inputs from Mumbai