Amid heavy slogan shouting Governor BS Koshyari wound up his address and left the Central Hall
While MVA legislators shouted 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai,' Opposition led by BJP raised slogans like 'Nawab Malik Rajinama Do'
The Governor’s address came close on the heels of a statement that Samarth Ramdas was Chhatrapati Shivaji’s guru that had let to an outcry in the state
Koshyari condemned the defacing of Shivaji statue in Bengaluru
Despite COVID-19 pandemic, state could re-start economic activities, attract industrial investments and at the same time took initiatives to protect the environment, he said.
Koshyari spoke about the state government’s slew of initiatives to successfully tackle the COVID-19 pandemic
The four-week budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature got off to a stormy start on Thursday. Amid heavy sloganeering by both, the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi and the opposition led by the BJP, Governor B S Koshyari was forced to abruptly wind up his joint address to both Houses on the inaugural day and leave without completing his speech. The governor left the Central Hall without even waiting for the national anthem to be played. According to senior ministers and legislators, this is the first such instance in the history of the Maharashtra Legislature.
As the governor entered the Central Hall, MVA legislators shouted ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai, Jai Bhavani Jai Shivani’. He had then asked the legislators to wait till the national anthem was over. However, legislators from the ruling alliance resumed their sloganeering, only stopping after an appeal by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Later, as the governor started reading out his speech, opposition legislators began shouting slogans against the state government, one of them being ‘Nawab Malik Rajinama Do’.
Visibly irked by the ruckus, Koshyari wound up his speech without meeting and offering the customary greetings to the ruling and opposition members and left through a side door of the Central Hall. His move comes in the backdrop of an outcry over his statement that Samarth Ramdas was Chhatrapati Shivaji’s guru.
Both ruling and opposition leaders have criticised the governor while the Shiv Sena has been holding protests across Maharashtra. The governor’s action on Thursday has evoked sharp reactions.
NCP Minister Jayant Patil claimed that the governor had to leave without reading his full address because of the unruly behaviour of the BJP legislators. He added that BJP members had insulted the House and also blamed the governor for insulting the national anthem.
Shiv Sena legislator Sunil Prabhu said it was a black day in the history of Maharashtra Legislature as the governor left the Central Hall without waiting for the national anthem.
However, Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis alleged that the MVA had insulted the governor. He said that the BJP was firm in its demand for Malik’s resignation, adding that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should break his silence over the entire episode.
BJP chief whip Ashish Shelar also blamed the MVA for the governor’s speech ending abruptly. The BJP has been demanding the removal of Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik from his post following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last week in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.
“Our only demand inside and outside the legislature is that minister Nawab Malik, who has been accused of links with (fugitive gangster) Dawood Ibrahim’s associates, be asked to quit the ministry. We will not budge from the demand. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure smooth conduct of the proceedings,” Shelar said.
However, NCP legislator Amol Mitkari claimed that Koshyari left without completing his address because he did not want to condemn the defacing of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bengaluru, Karnataka, in December last year. Mitkari said the reference to the Bengaluru incident was part of the Maharashtra governor’s address to the joint session.
The paragraph highlighted the Maharashtra’s government’s determination to stand up for the rights of Marathi-speaking people in the state’s border areas, condemning the defacing of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Karnataka and the incident of ink-throwing on the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti president at Belagavi in Karnataka, he said.
The speech also mentioned that the repressive acts of the Karnataka government against Marathi people living in the border areas were condemnable, the NCP leader said.
Mitkari claimed that alluding to this in the address would have posed a problem for the BJP, which is why the governor left without completing his address.
