NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing shock over 'intemperate language' in Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari's letter addressed to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on reopening places of worship in the state.
Pawar's letter comes amid a war of words between Governor Koshyari and CM Uddhav after the former sent a letter raising the issue of reopening of places of worship in Maharashtra. Koshyari asked Uddhav if he has turned 'secular'.
"I must mention here that I agree the Hon. Governor can have his independent views and opinions on the issue. I also appreciate the prerogative of the Governor to convey his views to the Chief Minister. However, I am shocked and surprised to see the letter of the Governor released to the media and the kind of language used in the letter," Sharad Pawar said in his letter addressed to PM Modi.
"I wonder if you are receiving any divine premonition to keep postponing the reopening of the places of worship time and again or have you suddenly turned secular yourselves, the term you hated?" BS Koshyari wrote on Monday.
The Chief Minister responded today stating that he does not need a certificate for his Hindutva from Koshyari. “Do you mean that opening up religious places is Hindutva, and not opening them means being secular? Secularism is a crucial base of the oath you took as Governor. Do you not believe it?” he replied.
“Sir, you mention Hindutva in your letter, but I do not need any certificate or any teaching on Hindutva from you. My Hindutva does not permit me to welcome home a person who called my Maharashtra or Mumbai Pakistan occupied Kashmir,” he added.
The MVA government in Maharashtra has so far not allowed the religious places to reopen. The opposition, especially the BJP, is demanding from the Uddhav Thackeray government to reopen religious places. The sites were closed in March following the coronavirus outbreak. Maharashtra is among the worst-hit states by the deadly virus.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said that Governor Koshyari should only see whether the state is being run as per the Constitution and that there is a people-elected government in place to look after rest of the things.
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