Uddhav Thackeray threatened a protest if Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was not removed. (File)
Uddhav Thackeray today demanded Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s recall, describing him as a “parcel sent via Amazon to Maharashtra” in an escalating row over comments on Shivaji. The former Chief Minister threatened a protest if Mr Koshyari was not removed.
“This governor who is a parcel sent via Amazon to Maharashtra by central government, if they don’t take him back within two to five days, a statewide protest or bandh will be organized,” Mr Thackeray told reporters.
Governor Koshyari’s comments on Maratha icon Chhatrapati Shivaji have triggered anger across the political spectrum, with the ruling Eknath Shinde Sena and its ally BJP, too, speaking up.
The Governor had made the comments at a function to honour Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and NCP leader Sharad Pawar.
“‘Earlier, when you were asked who your icon is, the answers would be Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Mahatma Gandhi. In Maharashtra, you need not look elsewhere (as) there are so many icons here. While Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is an icon of the olden days, now there are BR Ambedkar and Nitin Gadkari,” Mr Koshyari had said last Saturday.
