Maharashtra governor writes to Amit Shah: I can’t imagine insulting Shivaji even in my dreams

“You are aware that even if I ever unintentionally make a mistake, I immediately express my regret and apologise,” he added.

In his letter to the senior BJP leader, Koshyari taunted former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray without naming him. “When some personalities stayed indoors during the Covid pandemic, I travelled to the high-altitude forts of Shivneri, Raigad and Pratapgad, despite my age. I did not use a helicopter or car to reach the top of the Maharashtra forts. I climbed the forts on my feet.”

Koshiyari wrote that the speech he had delivered at Dr BR Ambedkar Marathwada University was presented out of context. Some part of the speech was selectively picked to create controversy, he wrote. “I told students that when we were students, some looked up to Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. They were their icons. It is natural that students always look for present-day icons.”

“In Maharashtra, you need not look elsewhere (as) there are so many icons here. While Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is of olden times, there are people from Dr Ambedkar to Nitin Gadkari in modern times,” he said at the university in November.

“It also means Dr A P J Kalam, Homi Bhabha et al are also icons. If some youths consider Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has emerged as a global leader because of his work and vision, as their icon, it does not mean they are insulting the past icons. This is not a subject for comparison,” Koshyari explained in the letter.

Koshyari recalled how in 2019 he had conveyed his decision not to contest elections and stay away from politics. But it was Modi and Shah who persuaded him to take up the responsibility of such a large state like Maharashtra as governor.

The letter to Shah assumes political significance as the comment on the revered icon has become an emotive issue. The Congress, NCP and the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena along with various social outfits have demanded Koshyari’s ouster.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Udayanraje Bhosale, who is from an erstwhile royal family and a descendant of Shivaji, has written to Modi and President Droupadi Murmu demanding Koshyari’s ouster. Earlier, former BJP MP Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje expressed his displeasure about the governor’s remark and sought his immediate removal from the constitutional post.

The remark embarrassed the ruling BJP and the party’s leaders distanced themselves from it. They also had to explain how they held Shivaji in high esteem and drew inspiration from him.