'Have Conveyed To PM Modi My Desire To Step Down': Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari recently came under fire from the Opposition as well as the ruling BJP for his remarks on Maratha icon Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who recently came under fire from the Opposition as well as the ruling BJP for his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji, said on Monday that he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveying his "desire to step down from political responsibilities".

In a statement issued by Raj Bhavan, Governor Koshyari, 80, has expressed his desire to spend the rest of his life in reading, writing and other leisurely activities.

"It was an absolute honour and privilege for me to serve as the Rajya Sevak or Rajyapal of a great state like Maharashtra – the land of saints, social reformers and valiant fighters," said Koshyari.

Koshyari said he expressed his desire to quit as Maharashtra Governor during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Mumbai. 

"I can never forget the love and affection I have received from the people of Maharashtra during the last little more than three years.  During the recent visit of Prime Minister to Mumbai, I have conveyed to him my desire to be discharged of all political responsibilities and to spend the remainder of my life in reading, writing and other activities. I have always received love and affection from the Prime Minister and I hope to receive the same in this regard," Koshyari has stated in the press release.

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The development comes days after Koshyari earned the ire of the Opposition for his statement that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was "an icon of the old era" and persons like the late Dr BR Ambedkar or Union Minister Nitin Gadkari were modern day icons.

 

"Earlier, when you were asked who your icon is, the answers would be Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi. In Maharashtra, you need not look elsewhere (as) there are so many icons here. While Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is icon of the olden days, now there are BR Ambedkar and Nitin Gadkari," the Maharashtra Governor had said at an event in Aurangabad in November.

Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale, the 13th direct descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, had called Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari "third class" and said he should be shunted to an old-age home.

Koshyari, on several occasions in the past, has been criticised by the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government for statements on Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and the contributions of the Marwari-Gujarati communities to the development of the state.