Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray demands fix criteria over appointment of Governors

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeraysaid some criteria must be fixed for selection of persons for the post of state governors, the PTI reported on Saturday. Uddhav said that Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been insulting revered figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and social reformers Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule, as per the PTI.

A state minister compared Eknath Shinde*s betrayal (rebellion in June that brought down the MVA government) to the warrior king*s escape from Agra and "such people continue to remain in office", he added."A governor is the representative of the President of India and there should be some criteria on who can be appointed to such a post. I demand such rules be framed," the former Maharashtra CM said, according to the PTI. Reiterating his appeal to people and citizens to join hands against those insulting the state and its icons, Thackeray said, "We will announce a programme in the coming days. We don*t want to just limit ourselves to a Maharashtra bandh (shutdown)." 

On November 19, during a convocation ceremony at the Babasaheb Ambedkar University in Aurangabad, Koshyari asked the students, “find out who is your favourite hero, you don't need to look outside Maharashtra. Shivaji is the hero of a different era, but at present, we have heroes like Dr Ambedkar, and Dr Nitin Gadkari, all of you, while studying will set some goals in life. Our Gadkari Saheb and Pawar Saheb are also visionaries."