In yet another incident exposing the uneasy relationship between the Governor and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari wound up his address to a joint session of the legislative Assembly in two minutes on the first day of the Budget Session on Thursday (March 3).
Koshyari, who had prepared a nine-page speech, read only the first and last paragraphs before leaving. He did not even wait for the national anthem, which is part of the programme, to be played after his speech.
What happened?
The first day of the Budget Session of the state legislature started off on a stormy note on Thursday with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari winding up his address to the joint session of both Houses in two minutes amid sloganeering by the legislators.
As soon as the Governor entered the stage of the Central Hall, MVA legislators — from Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress — raised slogans in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Koshyari had last week earned the wrath of the MVA when he talked about Samarth Ramdas being the “guru” of Shivaji . The statement had not gone down well with the ruling allies, who had asked him to apologise.
Soon after the slogans were raised, Koshyari urged MVA legislators to let the national anthem be played. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was seen waving to the legislators, requesting that they stop the sloganeering.
When Koshyari started reading out his speech after the national anthem, slogans were first raised by the treasury benches in the name of Shivaji Maharaj and then by the Opposition, seeking the resignation of NCP Minister Nawab Malik, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case.
The treasury benches appeared puzzled over the move, not knowing what was happening inside the Central Hall.
MVA leaders shout slogans against Governor Koshyari at Vidhan Bhavan on Thursday. (Express Photo: Ganesh Shirsekar)
What does this mean for the MVA government?
The latest tiff has now created uncertainty over the election of the Assembly Speaker, which is supposed to be held during the ongoing session. The post has been vacant for more than a year after Nana Patole resigned in February 2021.
Last month, the state Cabinet had proposed to hold the Speaker’s election on March 9 and communicated the same to the Governor. “Looking at today’s incident and the aggressive stand adopted by the BJP, it is difficult to say whether the Governor will give his nod,” a source in the government said.
During the winter session, the government and the Governor had engaged in a tussle over holding the election for the Speaker. While the treasury benches had amended the rules for the election of the Speaker through a voice vote instead of the secret ballot, the Governor had said that he was examining the amendments and didn’t approve the programme for the election which was requested by the MVA government.
The history of the tussle between the MVA government and Governor
Since Koshyari was appointed Governor in 2019, there have been a number of instances where he has locked horns with the government.
Incidentally, the Governor has sent back a Bill to the government — which was mentioned in the Assembly on Thursday — proposing amendments in the Maharashtra Co-operatives Societies Act, 1960, passed by both Houses during the winter session. The Governor has asked the government to “reconsider” the provision of its “power of exempting societies from the provisions of the Act”.
During the winter session, the MVA government had passed a Bill curtailing the powers of the Governor in the appointment of vice-chancellors in the state. The Governor is the chancellor of state universities and appoints vice-chancellors based on the recommendations of a committee.
Last month, Thackeray made a jibe at the Opposition BJP and Koshyari in the presence of President Ram Nath Kovid during a function, saying he didn’t come to Raj Bhavan when he was in the Opposition.
Earlier, the Governor had asked Thackeray whether he had turned “secular” over not opening places of worship during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In February 2021, a row erupted after the MVA government denied permission for Koshyari to use a state government aircraft to attend a function in Mussoorie. Thackeray’s office insisted it had not committed a mistake in the episode, and further stated the Raj Bhavan secretariat should have verified whether the permission was granted before proceeding to board the flight.
Last August, the state Cabinet expressed its displeasure over the Governor inaugurating two hostels in Nanded and holding “review meetings” with district officials. Subsequently, Koshyari had dropped the plan to inaugurate the hostels.
Also, there were differences between Koshyari and Thackeray during the nomination of the CM as a member of the Legislative Council. Thackeray had to finally seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to avoid a constitutional crisis in the state.
Besides, the Governor is yet to approve the 12 names recommended by the Cabinet in November 2020 to be appointed to the Upper House through the Governor’s quota.