New Delhi: Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday apologised for his remark "Mumbai will have no money if the Gujaratis and Rajasthanis were to leave” remarks, for which he face backlash from various factions. Koshyari made the controversial comments during a function to name a chowk (intersection) in suburban Andheri on Friday evening. During the event, Koshyari had said, "I tell people here that if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis are removed from Maharashtra, especially from Mumbai and Thane, you will be left with no money and Mumbai will not be a financial capital."
Quoting the governor, Raj Bhavan issued a statement saying that he is confident that the people of Maharashtra will display their large hearts and forgive him for his recent remarks. Koshyari said he may have committed a mistake while speaking about the contribution of some members of society, during his Andheri speech.
“I expect the citizens of this state would forgive a humble servant of this state by abiding with the teachings of several saints. It was an unintentional error from my side,” Koshyari said.
As his statement drew widespread condemnation, the Governor on Saturday said that the statement was misconstrued, and asked political parties not to create a controversy. There was no question of belittling the contribution of Marathi-speaking people and "lauding one community does not mean insulting another,'' he had said.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had demanded an apology from Koshyari. "The hatred that the governor harbours in his mind against the Marathi people has inadvertently come out,” the former chief minister had said.
Chief Minister Shinde, leader of the rebel Shiv Sena faction, had said he disagreed with Koshyari's remarks.
"We don't agree with Koshyari's remarks. It's his personal view. He has now issued a clarification. He occupies a constitutional post and should take care that his actions do not insult others. "The Marathi community's hard work has contributed to the development and progress of Mumbai....No one can insult Mumbai and Marathi people," Shinde had said.