The Shiv Sena has strongly justified the decision not to allow Governor BS Koshyari to use the state government plane for his Dehradun visit. The party MP Sanjay Raut said the Maharashtra Government has followed all stipulated norms in disallowing Governor to use a state plane.
However, BJP slammed the state government and accused the Maha Vikas Aghadi government of being "egoistic" and indulging in ‘’childish acts.’’
Raut rejected the BJP''s charge that the government has insulted the Governor saying that there was no politics involved in the incident. "We respect the governor. The government has upheld the Constitution. This is what I gather from my conversation with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray," he said.
"If the governor wants to use the government plane for private work, then there are some rules and had the government violated those rules, it would have been in the dock," said Raut. He added that the state government has followed all the procedures laid down by the Home Ministry regarding the use of official machinery for going to the home state for personal work.
Raut, however, criticised Koshyari over the delay in nomination of 12 names, recommended by the state cabinet, to the Legislative Council from the Governor's quota. "If you feel insulted over the plane issue, then what about the insult of the cabinet that had recommended the names (for Council nomination) over a year ago?" he asked.
Meanwhile, the leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis claimed that the state government has insulted the constitutional post of Governor. Fadnavis asked, “what sort of ego is this?”
Fadnavis tweeted, " Government's plane is not any one's personal property! Making Hon Governor get off the plane? Where does so much ego in MVA Govt come from? Never ever seen such an egoistic Govt in Maharashtra."
BJP legislator Sudhir Mungantiwar said the state government should apologise for ‘’insulting’’ the Governor. If the state government has purposely denied permission, it is a "blot" on the state's reputation, he added.
