Maharashtra (The Stellar News): On Friday evening, during an event, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari said that there will be no money left in Mumbai and it will cease to be the financial capital of the country if Gujaratis and Rajsathanis are removed from the city. This statement created a rumpus with political parties objecting to it and said that this statement hurts the sentiments of the Marathis. On Saturday, the governor said his comments were “misconstructed” and also made it clear that he had no “no intentions of belittling the hard work of the Marathi-speaking people in the progress and development of Maharashtra”.
Criticising the governor, the Congress demanded an apology from him.
“I tell people here that if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis are removed from Maharashtra, especially Mumbai and Thane, you will have no money and Mumbai will not be a financial capital”, the governor said after the naming ceremony of a chowk (square) in Andheri, a western suburb of Mumbai.
A released issued by the Raj Bhavan said Koshyari praised the contribution of Rajasthani-Marwari and Gujarati communities in making Mumbai the financial capital of the country. The governor said the Rajasthani-Marwari community is living in different parts of the country and also in countries like Nepal and Mauritius. “Wherever members of this community go, they not only do business, but also do acts of philanthropy by creating schools and hospitals”, he said.
As his remarks triggered a controversy, Koshyari issued a statement on Saturday, saying that he was only speaking about the contribution of the Gujarati and Rajasthani communities to the trade and industry in the city.
“Mumbai is Maharashtra’s pride and also the country’s financial capital. I also tried to learn Marathi in short span of time”, he said.
State Congress spokesman Atul Londhe slammed the governor over his remarks saying that they smack of his hatred for the state. He also demanded an apology from the governor. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena also lashed out at the governor. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said if Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had self-respect, he should demand the resignation of the governor.
Deepak Kesarkar, spokesperson of the Shinde-led faction of Shiv Sena, also criticized the governor.
Report: Deepanjot Kaur (Under Training)
