Friction between governors, appointed by the Centre and state governments run by rival parties is one of the oldest stories in Indian politics, but few states — with the possible exception of West Bengal — have seen the level of bitterness that Maharashtra has in recent years. The tussle between the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and governor BS Koshyari, a veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, started days after the unlikely coalition took office in 2019. In May 2020,
Friction between governors, appointed by the Centre and state governments run by rival parties is one of the oldest stories in Indian politics, but few states — with the possible exception of West Bengal — have seen the level of bitterness that Maharashtra has in recent years. The tussle between the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and governor BS Koshyari, a veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, started days after the unlikely coalition took office in 2019. In May 2020, Mr Koshyari did not approve the state cabinet’s recommendation for nominating chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray to the legislative council, a move that could have sparked a constitutional crisis since the CM had to be elected to the state legislature within six months of taking oath. The situation was resolved after weeks of bickering, and a meeting between Mr Thackeray and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Then, towards the end of the first Covid-19 wave, Mr Koshyari criticised the state government for not reopening temples, and even wrote a letter to the CM asking if he had “turned secular”. Months later, actor Kangana Ranaut, who was locked in a verbal war with Shiv Sena leaders at the time, found support from the Raj Bhavan. And, for over a year now, Mr Koshyari has not cleared a list of 12 people recommended to be nominated to the state’s Upper House.
Mr Thackeray’s government has responded by curtailing the governor’s powers in appointing vice-chancellors of universities. In May 2021, it denied Mr Koshyari permission to use a government aircraft to fly to Mussoorie after he boarded the state plane. The governor was forced to take a commercial flight at the last minute. On the first day of the budget session on March 3, an irked Mr Koshyari walked out within minutes of beginning his speech after sloganeering by legislators — the first time this has happened in the five-decade history of the Maharashtra legislature.
Bitterness between Raj Bhavan and Mantralaya undermines the sanctity of both institutions and does not bode well for the governance of one of the country’s largest states. Maharashtra is plagued by a raft of problems, from farmer suicides and falling agricultural incomes to urban unemployment, malnutrition and slowing economic growth. The need of the hour is to bury the hatchet and focus on critical issues of governance, and find creative and sustainable solutions for the problems facing the state’s 110 million people. Both sides must find a way to de-escalate.
One Subscription.
Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.
Archives
HT App & Website