Sharad Pawar, the head of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), on Monday upped the ante against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for his “secular” mockery of Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray last week.
Pawar said that anyone who respects himself would have resigned from the post of governor after being publicly rebuked by the Union Minister of Internal Affairs, Amit Shah.
He said he had never seen such a governor in his long political career.
“What can I say about the governor? The Union Minister of the Interior has spoken of him. Was the dignity of the office (of the governor) exalted because of your comment? I have met several governors in my long political career, but none have taken that position. A governor must defend the dignity of the office. It is also expected to maintain the dignity of the CM office, ”Pawar said.
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“It’s good that Shah rebuked him. Personally, I believe that a person who respects himself will not continue in office after being publicly rebuked by the Minister of the Interior of the Union, ”said the veteran leader.
In an interview for a television news channel last week, Shah reacted to the controversy, saying that Governor Koshyari could have chosen his words better.
“I have read the letter. You have made a reference in passing. However, I think he should have been more moderate in his choice of words, ”said Shah.
Koshyari recently wrote to the CM about the reopening of places of worship in the state amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak and asked if Thackeray, who is also the president of the ruling Shiv Sena, had “suddenly become secular. “.
His comment triggered a war of words with the CM, as the CM reminded him that secularism was one of the tenets of the Constitution that he swore in while taking the oath as governor of Maharashtra.
The NCP is part of the governing Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government, which also comprises the Seine and Congress.
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