Maharashtra Governor leaves without completing Vidhan Sabha address

The relations between the Governor and the MVA dispensation are already under public scrutiny

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday left the Vidhan Bhavan complex without completing his full address to the joint session on the first day of the Budget session amid sloganeering by legislators.

The Governor did not wait for the national anthem to finish playing and left in a huff, marking the stormy start of the over fortnight-long session — the longest in duration since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The relations between the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA dispensation comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress and the governor has not been at their best and the ruling alliance has often alleged that Koshyari was working at the behest of BJP.

On his arrival at the Vidhan Bhavan, Koshyari was received by Council Chairman Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar and Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, who escorted him to the Central Hall for the joint session.

As soon as he rose to speak, chaos began with MVA members raising slogans against him.

Their sloganeering was vis-a-vis his recent utterances against the legendary Maratha warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Samrath Ramdas and on the child-marriage of iconic social reformer-couple Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.

Even while this was happening, opposition BJP members raised slogans at the MVA demanding the resignation of state Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik, who was arrested last month by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged money-laundering case involving property deals with people linked to mafia don and terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.

Amid the fracas by both sides a few minutes into his speech, the Governor moved to the last page, thanked all, placed his speech copy on the podium and quietly walked away without completing his much-awaited address or waiting for the national anthem.

After the incident, the MVA and BJP traded charges, blaming each other for the Governor’s sudden departure.

At the stairs of Vidhan Bhavan, some ruling MLAs also raised slogans like – "Governor hatao, Maharashtra bachao”.

State NCP President and Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil claimed legislators of the MVA shouted slogans in praise of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, while BJP legislators raised “low level” slogans which the Governor couldn’t tolerate. “He did not even wait for the national anthem,” said Patil.

NCP MLA from Beed Sanjay Daud also performed ‘sheershaasan’ to protest against the Governor. “He has insulted the national anthem, he has insulted Maharashtra,” he said.

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and BJP chief whip Ashish Shelar blamed the MVA for what happened. “Our only demand is that Nawab Malik must resign and we will continue to demand that,” he said.

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