Guv Koshyari has had most showdowns with the government in Maharashtra than any of his predecessors

@prashanthamine

Mumbai: The tenure of the 22^nd Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari since September 5, 2019 will surely be more remembered for the sparks of political differences his office has had with the ruling Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

There have been at least 10 such major differences, showdowns that have taken place between the two over the last two years, so much so that the MVA has even demanded that the Centre recall him. The stand-off between the two over the appointment of the 12 Governor Nominated members to the Legislative Council has now reached the Bombay High Court.

It became quite clear that the relationship between Maharashtra Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshyari and the ruling MVA was going to be rather tenuous was quite evident from the very day the MVA ministers were sworn-in in December 2019.

During the oath taking ceremony of the MVA ministers on December 31, 2019 the Governor stopped Congress minister K C Padvi from reading out a speech while taking his oath. He also went on to correct another Congress minister Varsha Gaikwad as for deviating from the oath format.

Earlier this year on January 25, 2021 Farmers bodies protesting against the farm laws wanted to meet the Governor and submit their memorandum demanding the repealing of the laws. The Governor had left for Goa to address the Goa assembly on the eve of its budget session.

Even prompting NCP chief Sharad Pawar to take a sarcastic swipe at the Governor remarking that the latter had time to meet Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut and not the agitating farmers. The Governors Raj Bhavan secretariat replied with the explanation that the agitating farmers had been informed of the Governors non-availability on that day given his prior official engagement in Goa.

Some days later, the MVA government extracted a sweet revenge on the office of the Governor. On February 14, 2021 the MVA Government denied permission to Governor to use state aircraft to fly to Mussoorie to attend IAS probationers passing out function.

The Governor had to deplane and then later board a private commercial flight. The state government instead blamed the Governors office for the lapse and demanded that responsibility be fixed on the concerned Raj Bhavan official.

The latest stand-off between the MVA government and the Governor came over the latter’s recent tour of three districts of Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli. On August 3, NCP minister Nawab Malik slammed Governor for inaugurating two projects without informing the state government. He went on to further accuse the Governor of creating two power centres in the state. If that was not enough two days later, on August 5, the government took umbrage over Governor holding review meetings with state officials while on tour of the three districts of Marathwada region.

Last year the relations between the Governor and the MVA government soured over the issue of nominating 12 legislators to the Legislative Council from the Governor Nominated quota. The issue cropped up as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who was not elected to either of the houses of the state legislature had to get himself elected to either of the two houses before the end of May to retain his post.

On April 28, 2020 the MVA again asks Governor to nominate Uddhav Thackeray as nominated MLC. Congress Minister for Energy Nitin Raut even remarked that the Governor is working for the RSS. Earlier, the MVA leaders led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar call on Governor and urge him to nominate Uddhav Thackeray as MLC.

Couple of days later on April 30, 2020 the MVA again urged the Governor to nominate Uddhav as MLC. Instead, Governor wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) urging the poll body to consider holding elections to vacant 9 legislative council seats in the state.

After the controversy over the missing file, the matter has now reached the Bombay High Court. On July 19 last month, the Bombay High Court observed that the Governor has constitutional duty to either accept or reject the recommendations of the council of ministers (regarding appointment of 12 Governor Nominated MLCs).

Another flashpoint between the government and the Governor came in September last year. On September 13, 2020 Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had entertained controversial Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut at Raj Bhavan. She called on the Governor before she left Mumbai following her series of run-ins with the MVA government over the Sushant Singh Rajput case, the farmers agitation and the demolition of her office block by the BMC. The Governor summoned former state chief secretary and Chief Ministers principal advisor Ajoy Mehta to express his displeasure over the demolition of Ranaut’s premises.

If that was not enough, another incident sparked off yet another war of words between the Governor on October 14, 2020 wrote a strongly worded letter to CM Uddhav Thackeray urging the latter to reopen places of worships at the earliest terming as “most unfortunate” the extension of the ban on the religious places.

In a rather sarcastic tone, the Governor had snidely asked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray if he had turned “secular”, provoking Thackeray to respond swiftly equally reminding Koshyari that the word “secular” is in the Constitution he had sworn to protect when he took oath of office. That even prompted NCP leader Sharad Pawar to close ranks with Thackeray and in a strong letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed “shock and surprise” at the “intemperate language” used by the Governor.

But what many are not aware of the fact that the 79-year-old Governor is no novice to politics or parliamentary procedures. He has the unique distinction of being elected to both the houses of the state legislature as well as both the houses of the parliament.

He was only the second chief minister of Uttarakhand that too for a year in 2001.

After the elections he became the Leader of opposition in Uttarakhand assembly in 2003.

Earlier, he was elected to the Legislative Council of the then undivided Uttar Pradesh state legislature. Prior to being appointed as the Governor of Maharashtra, he was the Rajya Sabha MP from 2008 to 2014 and the Lok Sabha MP from Nainital Udhamsingh Nagar constituency in 16^th Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019.