Divided By Politics United By Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: Mr. Koshyari, This Is Maharashtra!

An MLA from the dominant Sena group in Maharashtra came out today against Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji after the Shinde Sena went three days without making any radio statements.

Sanjay Gaikwad’s direct order to the BJP to “ship him out” embarrassed the ruling coalition partner who had been caught up in the political uproar over Mr. Koshyari’s statement.

Sanjay Gaikwad stated, “The Governor should realize that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s ideas never fade and that he cannot be compared to any other great person in the world.

“I ask all of the BJP’s central leaders to agree that it is not advantageous to retain a governor who is unfamiliar with the location’s history or operational procedures.

We thus demand that the Governor be someone from Marathi territory. The MLA who represents the Buldhana Assembly constituency remarked, “Send Koshyari anywhere you want.

He even said emphatically that if this matter was not resolved, it may serve as the starting point for a rupture within the ruling coalition.

An approximate translation of his tweet into Marathi was, “Central elders should take note that owing to governor, disagreements would be developed between the two parties.

The Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji, who ruled in the seventeenth century, is a contentious subject in Maharashtra, and Mr. Koshyari’s statement that he is “an icon of former days” has angered many.

The Congress, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress party and the Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray, have been up in arms against it. Team Thackeray 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.

Key Uddhav Thackeray aide Sanjay Raut claimed the Governor has insulted Shivaji four times in one year.

“The government remains mute. According to their national spokesman, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj apologised to Aurangzeb five times. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah view Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as an icon.

Does the BJP formally support this position? The BJP should apologise to Maharashtra and immediately dismiss the Governor, “Added he.

The governor referred to Nitin Gadkari as the icon of contemporary times when he spoke about Shivaji, and he broke his silence today as the matter threatened to blow up. “Our saviour is Shivaji Maharaj… He is more respected by us than our parents “He stated in what was perceived as a troubleshooting effort.