Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday slammed Governor BS Koshyari saying his letter to CM Uddhav Thackeray on reopening of temples proves that he is not willing to follow India’s constitution. ‘’Maharashtra Government is taking decisions keeping the serious Covid 19 situation in mind and following the true meaning of the word secularism as mentioned in the Constitution,’’ he noted. He further stated Hindutva is Shiv Sena’s soul and so the party does not need a certificate from anybody.
In his letter to the CM, Koshyari had asked Thackeray "Have you suddenly turned secular?"
In his reaction, Raut said, ‘’Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari should only see whether Maharashtra is being run as per the Constitution or not and there is a people-elected government in place to look after the rest of the things. Shiv Senas Hindutva is firm and based on a strong foundation and they don't need lessons on it,’’ said Raut.
Referring to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s observation that the threat of COVID-19 still persists, Raut said in view of the health concern, it is Thackeray's responsibility to take care of people's safety, and the governor should have rather appreciated the chief minister for doing so diligently.
‘’It is the people-elected government, chief minister and ministerial council in Maharashtra which will decide how to unlock the state and facilitate people considering the prevalent COVID-19 crisis,’’ Raut said.
"So, nobody should have a question in mind about whether one is Hindutvavadi or not. It only needs to be seen whether the government is being run as per the Constitution or not," he noted without naming Koshyari. "And the governor should have rather appreciated the chief minister for discharging the responsibility diligently. But someone writes to him and Hindutva is questioned," he said.
To a query on Koshyari asking Thackeray whether the chief minister has turned secular, Raut counter questioned whether Koshyari is not secular. He further stated the Governor had taken the oath of the post remembering the secular Constitution.
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