Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari apologises over comments

Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s remarks had evoked strong reactions from all parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party. File pic

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has apologised to the people of Maharashtra for making remarks that were taken as an insult to the Marathi pride. He issued a statement in this regard on Monday evening.

Koshyari had said at a function on Friday that Mumbai wouldn't be the financial capital of the country, if the Gujarati and Rajasthani communities, who have all the wealth, were not here.

His remarks had evoked strong reactions from all parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Opposition parties had demanded his removal.

Also Read: Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari touches raw Marathi nerve

"Perhaps I made a mistake while appreciating the contribution of some communities to Mumbai's development," Koshyari said in
a statement.

"Everyone has contributed to the development of Maharashtra as well as the country. It is the bright tradition of all-inclusiveness of the concerned state that has put our country at the forefront of development," he added.

He said the people of Maharashtra have given him lots of love in the past three years. "I have tried to enhance the pride of Maharashtra and Marathi language."

"However, It is beyond my imagination that an inadvertent mistake I made that day could be considered as an insult to the great state of Maharashtra. I believe that the people of Maharashtra will pardon me, a servant of the state," he said, while invoking the teachings of great saints the state reveres.