Into retirement, Maharashtra shadow still over Bhagat Singh Koshyari

The Bench, led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, said: “The Governor (Koshyari) was not justified in calling upon (then Chief Minister Uddhav) Thackeray to prove his majority on the floor of the House because he did not have reasons based on objective material before him to reach the conclusion that Thackeray had lost the confidence of the House.”

Appointed as Governor of Maharashtra in September 2019, Koshyari, bulk of whose politics had till then been confined to Uttarakhand, was called upon to adjudicate on the political crises that followed the hung Assembly poll results a month later – and landed in one row after another.

When not being called upon to decide the ever-changing numbers in the House, Koshyari ran into controversy over statements which were slammed by the Opposition for “disrespect” to Maharashtra’s idols and “distortion” of history.

It all started with him officiating at the early morning swearing-in of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar as CM and Deputy CM, respectively. This effectively lifted the President’s rule in the state, that was in place due to the inability of any party to form a government.

Koshyari was called into question for not determining the numbers the BJP-Ajit Pawar NCP faction had before the swearing-in. Eventually, the NCP held together, Ajit returned back to his party, and the government fell within three days.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition that took over had frequent run-ins with Koshyari. In October 2020, the Shiv Sena took objection to the Governor writing a letter to then CM Uddhav Thackeray questioning the “delay” in reopening of places of worship following the lifting of the Covid lockdown, and asking if he had turned “secular”.

This accusation hurt as Uddhav was trying to counter the BJP’s charge that its dalliance with the NCP and Congress meant it had moved away from the Hindutva path.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, objecting to the language used by Koshyari in his letter to the CM.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah later said the Governor could have avoided certain words. After Shah’s remarks, Pawar said anybody with self-respect would not have continued in the post after this.

Then, in November 2020, the Maharashtra Cabinet recommended names of 12 leaders to be appointed to the Legislative Council. As per normal course, the Governor clears this file without much issue. But for one-and-a-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 state government aircraft to travel to Mussoorie for a function. Thackeray’s office said the government was not at fault and that the Raj Bhavan Secretariat should have verified whether permission had been granted before deciding to use the aircraft.

Among Koshyari’s statements that created a row was his February 2022 remark claiming that 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 the Governor 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 another controversy by mocking the child marriage of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule. “Savitribai was married off when she was 10… and her husband (Jyotiba) was 13. Now imagine, what would the boy and girl have been doing after marriage? What would they have been thinking?” Koshyari said, while cackling with laughter during the inauguration of a statue of Savitribai Phule in Pune.

He also made a statement saying that exit of Gujarati and Rajasthani people from Mumbai and Thane would end Mumbai’s status as the financial capital of the country. As his statement ruffled Maharashtra feathers, Koshyari claimed what he said was misconstrued and he never meant to offend anyone.

Next came Koshyari’s statement on Shivaji Maharaj, calling him a “hero of the past”. “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.

In June 2022, his role in the floor test, leading to the toppling of the MVA government and swearing-in of Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis as CM and Deputy CM, came into question. It was on this that Koshyari earned the Supreme Court’s rap Thursday.

While in Opposition, the BJP would be at Koshyari’s door every day, demanding directions to the then MVA government. But, soon after the Shinde-Fadnavis government came to power, Koshyari appeared to retreat.

In early 2023, Koshyari said he had conveyed his desire to step down as Governor. In a statement released by the Raj Bhavan in January, the 81-year-old talked about his “desire to be discharged of all political responsibilities and to spend the remainder of my life reading, writing and other activities.”

Later, addressing a delegation of Jain spiritual leaders on January 7, Koshyari said his role had brought him no happiness. “Only unhappiness came my way. (Yet) when I meet spiritual leaders, it elevates my mind and brings joy and peace,” he said.

On February 17, 2023, his tenure as Maharashtra Governor came to an end.