Uddhav Thackeray skips meeting called by Maharashtra Governor

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was missing from the review meeting called by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Wednesday evening. The meeting was held between 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM to review the state’s preparedness and the measures being taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus or COVID-19. 

The reason behind Thackeray’s absence from the meeting is not clear but this certainly hints towards a cold war between the Maharashtra Chief Minister and Governor. Instead of Uddhav Thackeray, his close aide and Shiv Sena leader Milind Narvekar attended the meeting. 

In the political circle, this is being seen as an act of ignoring the Raj Bhavan. However, Raj Bhavan claimed that Thackeray called up Governor Koshyari and informed that he won’t be able to attend the high-level meeting. 

This comes days after a delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and submitted a memorandum to highlight the “ineffective handling” of COVID-19 situation by the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.  

The BJP in Maharashtra has launched “Save Maharashtra” Andolan to target the Uddhav Thackeray government over its handling of COVID-19 situation and the ongoing migrant crisis. 

After meeting the Governor on Tuesday, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis said that the state government has completely failed over several fronts and demanded a special economic package for Maharashtra on the lines of the one announced by the centre.

However, the tussle between the Maharashtra Governor and the MVA government has been witnessed on several occasions. Earlier, NCP chief Sharad Pawar along with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had objected to Governor’s interference in the state administration. 

The tension was further fuelled after Governor Koshyari delayed Uddhav Thackeray’s nomination to the legislative council. The Maharashtra cabinet recommended the name of Uddhav Thackeray for his nomination as an MLC through governor’s quota to avoid a constitutional crisis. 

However, the same got delayed and the MVA leaders had to appeal for an election to the legislative council in Maharashtra on nine vacant seats. 

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