After a tenure riddled with controversies, Bhagat Singh Koshyari makes an exit from Maharashtra

Koshyari, who took charge as the Maharashtra Governor in September 2019, had said his role had only brought him unhappiness. Speaking to a delegation of Jain spiritual leaders on January 7, he had said: “As Governor, I never got happiness. Only unhappiness came my way. [Yet] when I meet spiritual leaders, it elevates my mind and brings joy and peace.”

His tenure in the state since his appointment has been surrounded by controversies, leading to protests from the Opposition and demands for his ouster accusing him of disrespecting Maharashtra’s idols and distorting history.

There have been a number of instances where the erstwhile Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the Governor had faced off highlighting their uneasy relationship. It all started with him officiating the early morning swearing-in ceremony of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, which lifted the President’s Rule in the state. But the government did not last for more than three days and the MVA took over in the state.

In October 2020, the Shiv Sena was riled after the Governor had written a letter to its leader and then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray over the delay in the reopening places of worship, shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, and sought to know if he had turned “secular”.

Soon after the Governor’s letter, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar had written a letter to PM Modi objecting to the language used by Koshyari in his letter to the CM. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had later said the Governor could have avoided certain words. After Shah’s remarks, Pawar had said that anybody with self-respect will not continue in the post alluding to the Governor.

In November 2020, the Maharashtra cabinet recommended the names of 12 leaders to be appointed to the state legislative council. As per the procedure, the governor is expected to clear the file paving way for appointments. For one and half years, despite various reminders and requests by cabinet ministers and even the Bombay High Court’s suggestion, Koshyari did not clear a single name. It further escalated the cold war between him and the MVA.

In February 2021, a new row erupted after the MVA government denied permission to Koshyari to use the state government aircraft for his travel to Mussoorie for a function. Thackeray’s office clarified the government had committed no mistake in the episode and further stated the Raj Bhavan secretariat should have verified whether the permission was granted before proceeding to board the flight.

More than his confrontations with the government, his statements created an uproar in political and social circles.

In February 2022, he triggered a controversy by claiming saint Samarth Ramdas was a guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. “Many maharajas and chakravartis (emperors) were born on this land. But, who would have asked about Chandragupta had there not been Chanakya? Who would have asked about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had there not been Samarth (Ramdas),” said Koshyari at a function in Aurangabad. Maratha organisations strongly reacted to his remarks and issued a statement saying Shivaji’s guru was his mother Rajmata Jijau.

Days later, he courted yet another controversy by mocking the child marriage of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule. “Savitribai was married off when she was ten years old…and her husband (Jyotiba) was 13 years old. Now imagine, what would the boy and girls have been doing after marriage. What would they have been thinking?” Koshyari had said while cackling with laughter during the inauguration of a statue of Savitribai Phule in Pune.

He also made a statement saying that the exit of Gujarati and Rajasthani people from Mumbai and Thane will no longer make Mumbai the financial capital of the country. Days after, he said that his statement was misconstrued and he never meant to offend anyone.

Two months ago, his statement on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj terming him as a “thing of the past era” and comparing him with others had the Opposition registering a protest and demanding his ouster.

“If somebody asks you who is your favourite hero, then there is no need to go outside. There are plenty in Maharashtra. Shivaji is a thing of the past era. I am talking about a new era. You will get many. From Dr Ambedkar to Nitin Gadkari, you will get them here,” he said at the convocation ceremony of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University at Aurangabad where Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and NCP chief Pawar were presented with honorary D Lit degree.

The BJP, when in Opposition, used to visit Koshyari on every issue demanding directions to the then MVA government. With the new Shinde-Fadnavis government in power, Koshyari seems to have decided that it is time to hang up his boots.