Mumbai: A petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking the removal of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over his recent comments calling Maratha emperor Shivaji "an icon of the olden days". It also demands an FIR against the governor and BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, who allegedly said Shivaji had "apologised" to Mughal king Aurangzeb.
The petition by a man named Deepak Dilip Jagdev demands the court should direct that "the Governor could be impeached if found guilty of treason, or any offence against the safety, security or integrity of the Union", and also that the Governor be directed "to obtain mental fitness/mental soundness certificate from psychiatrist" till the plea is pending.
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Made during an event in Aurangabad, Koshyari's comment triggered a political storm in Maharashtra, with activists of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), NCP, Congress, and other organisations staging protests for his ouster. Koshyari had said, "Earlier, when you would be asked who is your icon, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi used to be the answers. In Maharashtra, you need not look elsewhere (as) there are so many icons here. While Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is of olden days, there are BR Ambedkar and Nitin Gadkari."
