Mumbai: In an interesting turn of events, Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's faction on Monday demanded that Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, an RSS veteran who has also served as National Vice-President of BJP, be shifted out of the state for his recent remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Gaikwad, who represents the Buldhana Assembly constituency, claimed that Koshyari had made statements about the founder of the Maratha Empire and stoked controversy in the past as well.
"The governor should understand that the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never age and he cannot be compared to any other great person in the world. My request to BJP leaders at the Centre is that a person who does not know the history of the state and how it functions, be sent somewhere else," the MLA said.
Also read: Maha Guv Koshyari lands in controversy over his comments on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
Gaikwad is an MLA of the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena faction of the party led by Shinde who helms the government in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday said Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari should not have compared Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar with legendary Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. "He should not have compared NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Union minister Nitin Gadkari with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. All the people in Maharashtra feel the same."
However, it should not be forgotten that the Governor has been serving in his office taking inspiration from Shivaji Maharaj, said the BJP leader. The Opposition in the state is looking for an excuse to target him and ignoring his good deeds of the last two-and-a-half years, said Bawankule.
Koshyari had, on Saturday, said Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an icon of "olden days" and referred to Babasaheb Ambedkar and Union minister Nitin Gadkari while talking about "icons" in the state, drawing criticism from the NCP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction.
The governor made the remarks after conferring D.Litt degrees on senior BJP leader Gadkari and NCP president Sharad Pawar at an event held in Aurangabad.
