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 the BJP of using governor B S Koshyari to “pressurise” and “destabilise” the government.
Raut alleged that many decisions taken by the government, which needed the approval of the governor, were stuck due to “political pressure”. The nomination of 12 members of the legislative council (MLCs) was just one of the many decisions that had been held up, he said.
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 is not a cold war. Cold war is carried out clandestinely. This is an open war. Raj Bhavan is being used for political purposes by the BJP,” he alleged.
Elaborating on the BJP’s role, Raut said, “This war is not only between the governor and the state government. The BJP is using Raj Bhavan. A large number of decisions taken by the government are stuck in Raj Bhavan because of pressure tactics.”
Raut said the nomination of 12 MLCs — appointments to be made by the governor on the recommendation of the state government — have still not been acted upon. “The MLCs’ terms come to an end in the sixth year. Valuable time of their tenure has been lost. Who is responsible for this delay?” 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 is working under political pressure. Hence this is an open war, not a cold war,” he said.
Asked whether denying an aircraft to the governor when he was to fly to Dehradun was part of this “war”, Raut said, “There are many weapons which are used in the war and this was one of them.”