Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that there was an “open war” between the Maharashtra government and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, The Times of India reported. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was using the governor’s office to destablise the state government.
Raut made the remark while responding to media queries about the conflict between the state government and Koshyari. “Its not a cold war,” Raut was quoted as saying by the newspaper. “Cold war is carried out clandestinely. This is an open war. Raj Bhavan is being used for political purposes by BJP.”
The Shiv Sena leader alleged that because of political pressure, the governor was not giving approval for certain decisions of the Maharashtra government.
He said that the Koshyari was yet to appoint the 12 members nominated to the Legislative Council by the government. “Their terms come to an end in the sixth year,” Raut said, according to The Times of India. “Valuable time of their tenure has been lost. Who is responsible for this delay because of political pressure?”
Also read: Maharashtra governor denied permission to use state plane, waits two hours at airport
Raut said that the governor was constitutionally bound to act on the advice of ministers. “If this is true, then is this not a case of violation of the Constitution?” Raut asked. “This means he [the governor] is working under political pressure. Hence this is an open war, not a cold war.”
The relations between the Uddhav Thackeray-led government and Koshyari have been strained for some time. In October, Thackeray and Koshyari had strongly disagreed with each other over the reopening of religious places in Maharashtra amid the coronavirus crisis.
Another controversy erupted last week as Koshyari had to wait for over two hours at Mumbai airport after not getting the permission to fly to Dehradun in a government plane. The governor’s office said that it had asked the Maharashtra government for permission well in advance. Meanwhile, the BJP accused the Shiv Sena of insulting Koshyari.
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