Maharashtra Governor Criticised For 'Gujarati-Rajasthani' Remark

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari found himself in a controversy after he said in a speech on Friday that if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis were removed from Maharashtra and Thane, there would be nobody left. This attracted criticism from Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, who said the remarks insulted Marathi people.

Koshyari can be heard saying Maharashtra wouldn't remain the financial capital of India if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis left. He said, "In Maharashtra, especially in Mumbai and Thane, take Gujaratis out of here and take Rajasthanis out of here, then you'll be left with nobody. Mumbai is called the financial capital, but it wouldn't remain so. There would be no money left here." Koshiyari said this during the naming ceremony of a chowk in Mumbai's Andheri.

In a series of tweets in Marathi, member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha and Shiv Sena leader, Sanjay Raut, condemned it saying this was an insult to the Marathi people. One of his tweets roughly translates to, "As soon as the BJP established a chief minister in Maharashtra, they have started insulting the Marathi man... This is an insult to the hard-working Marathi people."

The Raj Bhavan in Maharashtra issued a press release on the event saying the Governor "hailed the contribution of Rajasthani – Marwari and Gujarati communities in making Mumbai the financial capital of India".

The statement said that the Governor also mentioned that the Rajasthani Marwari community live in various parts India and other countries such as Nepal and Mauritius. Koshiyari said that the members of this community are also involved in philanthropy wherever they live.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also criticised the Koshiyari saying, "His name is 'Koshiari'. But as a governor there is not a bit of 'hoshiyari (smartness)' in what he says and does. He is sitting on the chair only because we faithfully obey the command of 'we two'."