Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai, July 30: Uddhav Thackeray, the leader of the Shiv Sena, on Saturday criticised Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for stirring up controversy by claiming that the state would run out of money if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis left Maharashtra. He accused the governor of “splitting Hindus” and claimed that his comment was offensive to “Marathi Manoos,” or Marathi-speaking sons of the soil, and Marathi pride.
“The government should decide whether to send him back home or to prison,” said Thackeray, demanding an apology.
Thackeray stated he is unsure of how long to remain silent out of respect for Koshyari’s position. The Sena chairman charged that the Governor was “in a hurry to open temples” while Covid cases were on the rise and people were losing their lives. Additionally, he claimed that the Governor had previously insulted Savitribai Phule.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also reacted to the remark by denouncing Governor Koshyari’s speech and asking Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to at the very least condemn the Governor’s statements.
“The Marathi man gets insulted as soon as a BJP-sponsored chief minister is in power. CM Shinde at least condemns the Governor. This is an insult to Marathi hard-working people,” Raut tweeted.
“Chief Minister Shinde, are you listening? That your Maharashtra is different. If you have self-respect, then seek the resignation of the governor,” Raut said in another tweet.
The governor was also asked by Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi to apologise right away for his “insult” to the hard work of the Maharashtrian people.
“This is an insult to the hard work of the people of Maharashtra and Marathi Manoos who have toiled day in and day out to make the state the leading state of the country. The Governor should apologise immediately, failing which, we will demand him to replace him,” Chaturvedi wrote.
“Are the CM and Deputy CM aka Maharashtra cabinet okay with this? Why are they silent? Oh wait, they have still not agreed with their cabinet ministers,” she added.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole also demanded his immediate dismissal.
Bhagat Singh Koshyari sparked a controversy on Friday by saying that if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis leave the state, particularly from Mumbai and Thane, there will be no money left in the state and it will no longer be the nation’s financial capital.
“I tell people here that if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis are removed from Maharashtra, especially Mumbai and Thane, you will have no money and Mumbai will not be a financial capital,” Koshyari stated during a speech at an event in Mumbai.
He said this over the naming ceremony for a chowk in Mumbai’s western district of Andheri.
However, in an explanation later, the governor stated that his purpose was not to offend the Marathi people. He explained that the claim related to the contributions made by residents of Gujarat and Rajasthan to the state of Maharashtra.
“Marathi manoos worked hard to establish what Maharashtra is today. So there is no question of demeaning or underestimating them,” he added.
