Maharashtra Governor Koshyari denied nod to travel in state plane to Uttarakhand
11 Feb 2021 15:37:00
Mumbai, Feb 11: After an unusual turn of events, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was denied permission to travel by a state government plane to Dehradun in Uttarakhand on Thursday. This development is expected to increase further amid the ongoing tussle between Raj Bhavan and Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
Koshyari, who was scheduled to make a visit to Uttarakhand today, was denied permission to board a plane at Mumbai airport. Following the incident, the Maharashtra governor booked a commercial flight to Dehradun.
Reports suggest, "Accordingly, a state government plane was booked earlier. But, the permission did not come till the last moment. Normally, governors do not wait for permission to come. He sat in the aircraft. The pilot then said the permission was not given yet".
When asked to comment on the issue, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said he had no clue and can only comment after gathering information.
The Maharashtra governor and the state government have been at loggerheads on several issues, including the opening of temples across the state during the unlock phase. Also, the issue of appointments of 12 persons as Members of the Legislative Council (MLC) through the governor’s quota, is also likely to mount the tensions.
Ever since, Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) formed the government in Maharashtra in 2019, the Thackeray-led government have been engaged in a tussle over host of issues.
The Maharashtra Governor also met Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut who had complained to him against Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) which had demolished parts of her flat.
In October, Shiv Sena through its mouthpiece, Saamana, had hit out at Koshiyari and demanded that the governor should be recalled if Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished to preserve the "prestige" of Raj Bhavan.