Shiv Sena asks Modi, Amit Shah to recall Maha Guv over recent remarks

Shiv Sena on Thursday said Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari should be recalled if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah wish to preserve the prestige of Raj BhavanAn editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana launched a stinging attack on Koshyari 78 who recently wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on reopening places of worship and asked if the Sena leader had suddenly turned secularThe editorial said the BJP has been exposed on this issue Using the Governors office to attack the state government has proved costly for the opposition party in Maharashtra it addedRestaurants have opened with strict COVID19 safety protocol but reopening temples will see crowding it said If the BJP wants temples to reopen then there should be a national policy it said Several important temples in the country are closed it addedThe editorial justified the Chief Ministers response to Koshyaris letter Even the gods must be ringing the temple bells in happiness it saidIf the sound of ringing bells has reached PM Modi and Amit Shah then they will recall the Governor to preserve the prestige of Raj Bhavan the editorial saidKoshyari and Thackeray are locked in a bitter war of words after the former pushed for reopening of places of worship in the state closed due to the COVID19 pandemic and asked the latter whether he has suddenly turned secularThackeray responded to Koshyaris letter saying he will consider the request but asserted he does not need the Governors certificate for my Hindutva even as BJP workers held protests outside temples in various cities in the state demanding reopening of places of worshipNCP president Sharad Pawar also waded into the row between the two constitutional functionaries and wrote to Modi expressing shock over the intemperate language used in the Governors missive to the Chief MinisterThe spat erupted after Koshyari wrote a letter to Thackeray about representations received by his office demanding reopening of places of religious worship shut since Marchend in view of the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent lockdownIn his letter on Monday Koshyari told Uddhav Thackeray it is ironical that while on one hand the state government permitted opening of bars restaurants and beaches our gods and goddesses have been condemned to stay in the lockdownResponding to the letter Thackeray on Tuesday wrote to the Governor saying the state government will consider his request to reopen these placesThe chief minister said a decision on reopening places of worship a demand being vociferously made by the opposition BJP will be taken after careful consideration of the COVID19 situation in Maharashtra which tops among states in the number of cases and deathsIn his letter whose tone and contents evoked criticism from ruling allies the Congress and the NCP as well Koshyari had mentioned that he has received three representations from delegations demanding that places of religious worship be reopenedIn response Thackeray pointed out the coincidence that all the three letters Koshyari mentioned were from BJP officebearers and supportersKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever