NASHIK: Shiv Sena spokesman and MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said it was an “open war” between Raj Bhavan and the Maharashtra government and accused BJP of using governor BS Koshyari to “pressurise” and “destabilise” the state government.
Raut alleged that many decisions taken by the government, which needed the governor’s approval, were stuck due to “political pressure”. Raut, who was on a two-day tour of Nashik, was speaking to the media when he was asked about the “cold war” between the state government and the governor.
“It’s not a cold war. Cold war is carried out clandestinely. This is an open war. Raj Bhavan is being used for political purposes by BJP,” he alleged. Elaborating on BJP’s role, Raut said,“This war is not only between the governor and the state government. BJP is using Raj Bhavan.”
Raut said the nomination of 12 MLCs — appointments to be made by the governor on recommendation of state government — have still not been acted upon.
“Their terms come to an end in the sixth year. Valuable time of their tenure has been lost. Who is responsible for this delay because of political pressure?” he asked.
Raut said the governor is bound to act on the advice of the council of ministers according to the Constitution. “If this is true, then is this not a case of violation of the Constitution? This means he (governor) is working under political pressure. Hence this is an open war, not a cold war,” he said.