Bhagat Singh Koshyari : Controversies surrounding the outspoken former Governor of Maharashtra

Bhagat Singh Koshyari's decision to hurriedly lift the President's rule and conduct the swearing in swearing-in-ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in November 2019 remained one of the most controversial chapter of his tenure.

New Delhi: Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been no stranger to controversies. Since assuming charge in September 2019, he has often been in the eye of the storm for his actions such as hurriedly conducting the swearing-in-ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in 2019 or triggering a major backlash from the Opposition parties by dubbing the iconic Marathi king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a "hero of the past era." With Koshyari having resigned from the post and set to be replaced by Jharkhand governor Ramesh Bais is set to take charge, here are major controversies of his tenure.

Koshyari's tenure as the Governor of Maharashtra started with his controversial decision of hurriedly lifting the President's rule and conducting the swearing-in-ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in November 2019, leaving the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) stunned as they were preparing to lay claim to forming the government. However, the Fadnavis government only lasted for about three days as the MVA became the top contender to form the government.

However, Koshyari's run-ins with the MVA did not end there. He was again the center of controversy during the oath-taking of MVA ministers in September 2019. He lost his cool when MVA ministers started altering the written oath and adding their own words to it. The situation became such that Koshyari forced K C Padvi, a Congress minister to take oath again.

He had several confrontations with the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA Government during his tenure which often led to a bitter exchange of allegations between the two sides. One such confrontation took place when he mocked the MVA government over keeping temples closed and bars open asking Thackeray whether he had become secular.

Koshyari was once again in the news in February 2021 when had to deboard from the state government-owned aircraft after the Chief Minister's office denied him permission to board the plane. He had to board a commercial aircraft.

The former Governor faced massive backlash in July 2021 for his remark that Mumbai would no longer be the financial capital of the country if the Gujaratis and Marwaris were removed from the state. He later apologized for his remarks. Koshyari was once again in the eye of the storm in February 2022. This time his remark that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would not be of any importance without his mentor Samarth Ramdas.

In November last year, his remarks on Shivaji again landed him in trouble. His comments that Shivaji was a "hero of the past era" and that the people of Maharashtra should focus on icons like Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar or even Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. His remarks drew severe criticism from the Opposition parties who demanded that the Governor be recalled.

Welcoming the change of guard at the State's top constitutional post NCP leader Jayant Patil tweeted " Governorship has been tarnished by gentlemen who defy great men and swear an unconstitutional government by working against the constitution. Maha Vikas Aghadi has been demanding a change of governor, which is why we welcome the news that there will be a new governor in Maharashtra."

NCP MP MP Supriya Sule also welcomed the appointment of Bais as the next Governor of Maharashtra. "Congratulations to Hon. Shri. Ramesh Bais on being appointed as the Governor of Maharashtra. We worked together in the Parliament for 10 years. Best Wishes," tweeted Sule.