Shivaji remark row: NCP, Shiv Sena protest in Pune seeking ouster of Maharashtra Governor

At the protest held at the Savarkar memorial near Saras Baug corner, a young actor dressed as Koshyari was symbolically “manhandled” by NCP workers who tossed his cap in the air and tried to strip him by pulling his dhoti. The protesters also shouted slogans against Koshyari, the BJP and its spokesperson Sudhansu Trivedi. A video clip of Trivedi participating in a television debate on the Savarkar apology row had recently gone viral after the BJP leader said Shivaji had apologised to Aurangzeb several times.

NCP workers manhandle an actor dressed as Bhagat Singh Koshyari at a protest held at the Savarkar memorial near Saras Baug corner in Pune. (Express Photo)

The protesters demanded that Koshyari be removed as Governor and condemned the BJP for keeping silent on the issue. Senior leaders of the NCP’s Pune unit, including city chief Prashant Jagtap and spokesperson Pradeep Deshmukh, attended the protest. Jagtap said, “The NCP warns of agitation wherever the Governor visits the state, until he apologies for his statement. The Governor has been making controversial statements on national leaders and social reformers from the state.”

Shiv Sena workers Monday staged a demonstration against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Alka chowk in Pune over his over his controversial remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
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“The BJP leadership from the state has forgotten the national leaders, so they keep quiet every time party leaders and the Governor they appointed insult the state’s leaders,” he added.

Senior NCP leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule told reporters that the Governor has been a repeat offender. “It’s not Maharashtra’s culture to criticise the Governor’s actions but Governor Koshyari has been insulting Maharashtra’s icons repeatedly. He is a repeat offender and hence it is important that the government takes some remedial action,” Sule said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) also held a protest against Koshyari, led by party unit chief Sanjay More. The party has announced that until the Governor apologises for his remarks, the party will not allow him to enter the city.

Meanwhile, the city unit of the Congress has also decided to hold a protest against the state Governor over his statement.