Koshyari ending address abruptly latest tussle in uneasy relationship between govt, Governor

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The recent tiff has now created uncertainty over the election of the Assembly Speaker, which is supposed to be held in the ongoing session.

Since Koshyari was appointed the Governor in 2019, there have been a number of instances where the government and the Governor have faced off against each other.

The state Cabinet had proposed to hold the Speaker’s election on March 9 and communicated the same to the Governor last month. “Looking at today’s incident and the aggressive stand adopted by the BJP, it is difficult to say whether the Governor will give his nod,” said a source.

#WATCH | Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) MLAs shout slogans and protest against Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over his alleged controversial remarks over Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

NCP MLA Sanjay Daund did a 'sheershasan' in protest. pic.twitter.com/txeSgZCNgC

— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2022

The government and the Governor were engaged in a tussle over holding the election of the Speaker during the Winter Session of the legislature. While the treasury benches had amended the rules for the election of the Speaker through a voice vote instead of the secret ballot, the Governor had said that he was examining the amendments and didn’t approve the programme for the election.

Interestingly, the Governor has referred back to the government a Bill – which was mentioned in the Assembly on Thursday – proposing amendments in the Maharashtra Co-operatives Societies Act, 1960, passed by both the Houses during the Winter Session. The Governor has asked the government to “reconsider” the provision of its “power of exempting societies from the provisions of the Act”.

During the Winter Session, the MVA government had passed a Bill curtailing the powers of the Governor in the appointment of vice-chancellors in the state. The Governor is the chancellor of state universities and appoints vice-chancellors based on the recommendations of a committee.

#WATCH | Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari leaves his speech midway & leaves from Assembly on the first day of session, as Maha Vikas Aghadi MLAs shout slogans in the House

The Governor had allegedly made controversial statement over Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj recently pic.twitter.com/ofG1tNGhyD

— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2022

Last month, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had made a jibe at Opposition BJP and Koshyari in the presence of President Ram Nath Kovid during a function, saying that he didn’t come to Raj Bhavan daily when he was in the Opposition. Earlier, the Governor had asked Thackeray whether he had turned “secular” over not opening places of worship during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last August, the state Cabinet had expressed displeasure over the Governor inaugurating two hostels in Nanded and holding “review meetings” with district officials. Subsequently, Koshyari had dropped the plan to inaugurate the hostels.

Also, there were differences between Thackeray and Koshyari during the nomination of the chief minister as a member of the Legislative Council. Thackeray had to finally seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to avoid a constitutional crisis in the state.

Besides, the Governor is yet to approve the 12 names recommended by the Cabinet in November 2020 to be appointed to the Upper House through the Governor quota.