Row over Shivaji: Amruta Fadnavis supports Koshyari, adding to BJP-Shinde govt's woes
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ wife Amruta has increased the state government’s problems following the controversy over comment on Chhatrapati Shivaji by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Amruta Fadnavis has come out in Koshyari’s support. “I know the governor personally. He learnt Marathi after coming to Maharashtra. He genuinely loves Marathis. I have experienced this myself. But it has happened many times that he has said something and it was give some other interpretation. But he is a Marathi Manoos at heart,” she told reporters.
Widespread protest
Koshyari’s comments on Maratha icon Chhatrapati Shivaji have triggered anger across the political spectrum and Amruta’s statement at this time is only going to add to Maharashtra government’s woes.
Also read: Sanjay Raut demands removal of Maharashtra governor for ‘insulting’ Shivaji Maharaj
Maharashtra’s Eknath Shinde-BJP government has been caught in a spot over the remarks by Koshyari, a former BJP chief minister from Uttarakhand, and the opposition has been demanding his recall.
Thackeray targets Governor
Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday described the governor as a “parcel sent via Amazon to Maharashtra” and said the Centre should take him back. He threatened a protest if Koshyari was not removed.
“This governor, who is a parcel sent via Amazon to Maharashtra by central government, if they don’t take him back within two to five days, a state-wide protest or bandh will be organized,” Thackeray told reporters.
“We would request the central government to take away the sample that you sent here. If required put him in old age home, we don’t need him in the state.”
On Friday, his party leader Sanjay Raut met with the Nationalist Congress Party’s Sharad Pawar to discuss protests.
Koshyari’s faux pas
The governor had last week made the comments at a function to honour Union minister Nitin Gadkari and NCP leader Sharad Pawar.
Also read: ‘Shivaji Maharaj is our God’: Gadkari’s bid to end row over Koshyari’s comment
“Earlier, when you were asked who your icon is, the answers would be Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi. In Maharashtra, you need not look elsewhere (as) there are so many icons here. While Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is icon of the olden days, now there are BR Ambedkar and Nitin Gadkari,” Koshyari had said.
