Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who was benevolent when he asked Muslim leaders to organise low-key Bakri Eid celebrations without violating rules is now embroiled in a war of words with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Koshyari wrote a letter to the Chief Minister regarding the reopening of all places of worship.
In his letter, the Maharashtra Governor took a jibe at Uddhav ‘Hindutva’ credentials and wrote “….You have been a strong votary of Hindutva. You have publicly espoused your devotion for Lord Rama by visiting Ayodhya after taking charge as Chief Minister. You visited Vitthal Rukmini Mandir in Pandharpur and performed the puja on Ashadi Ekadashi.”
Maharashtra Governor wrote to CM Uddhav Thackeray, seeking re-opening of places of worship with COVID precautions
"I wonder if you're receiving any divine premonition to keep postponing re-opening or you've suddenly turned 'secular' yourselves, the term you hated?" letter states pic.twitter.com/BedTgTSP2d
— ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2020
Governor Koshyari bluntly told Thackeray that it is “ironical that while on one hand the state government permitted opening of bars, restaurants and beaches, our gods and goddesses have been condemned to stay in the lockdown”.
The Governor in the last three months had met with, several delegations of Hindu religious leaders who had demand reopening of places of religious worship.
In his letter to Uddhav Thackeray, the Governor asked him, “I wonder if you are receiving any divine premonition to keep postponing the reopening of the places of worship time and again or have you suddenly turned ‘secular’ yourself, the term you hated,”.
Uddhav wrote, “Received your letter asking to reopen all worshipping places. Government is thinking about this. But we do care about the lives of the People of Maharashtra. That’s why the way we impose lockdown slowly it is necessary to lift the lockdown slowly. We are taking all care in tho battle with Corona by implementing health campaigns and making people aware of it.”
Uddhav took affront to the Hindutva jibe Koshyari had mentioned and said, “You have mentioned my stand of ‘Hindutva’ in that letter but I don’t need a certificate of ‘Hindutva’ from you and don’t need to learn it from anyone else. The person who calls my state or Mumbai as POK, I don’t welcome such people at home. That’s not my ‘Hindutva’. You have also said in the letter. ”
The reference to Pakistan occupied Kashmir was a jibe at Kangana Ranaut who has been a thorn in the flesh of the Shiv Sena.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that the Governor’s letter to the Chief Minister invokes the connotation as if it was written by the leader of a political party.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is organising protests and demonstrations across the state, with supporters holding placards which read “Liquor on…..Temple shut, Uddhav your work should be shut”.