Maharashtra Governor skips inauguration of ‘old’ hostel in Nanded

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Takhat Sachchand Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded on Thursday. Pic courtesy/Raj Bhavan

On a controversial three-day tour of three districts of central Maharashtra, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari skipped the inauguration of a minority girls and boys hostel in Nanded, apparently because he was told the structures had been in use for the past three years.

On Wednesday, Koshyari had made minor changes to his tour, apparently because the state Cabinet had sent him a dissent note accusing him of encroaching on elected public representatives' rights by proposing to review developmental works, and scheduling the inauguration of the hostels but keeping in dark the Minority Affairs Department, which had constructed the property. Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik had objected to the event saying the property had not been transferred to the university. He had accused Koshyari of trying to create two power centres in the state.

Koshyari did alter the itinerary slightly by shifting the review meetings to the circuit houses from the collectors' offices, but decided to attend the inauguration. He changed his mind just ahead of the programme in Nanded on Thursday morning, apparently because local media reports and social media posts said that the SRTM University officials had misled him by not telling Raj Bhavan about the building's status.

Guardian minister skips

The Maha Vikas Aghadi gave Koshyari a further snub. Nanded's Guardian Minister Ashok Chavan skipped the governor's visit, though it could be seen as a breach of protocol. The former chief minister was in Mumbai on Thursday. Parbhani's Guardian Minister Nawab Malik and his Hingoli counterpart Varsha Gaikwad are also expected to avoid the governor over the next two days Commenting on the tour, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said the BJP was trying to rule the states where it was not in power. "What is happening in Delhi and West Bengal? The governor of Maharashtra is doing the same. Let him try. One day he too will fall flat, tired and exhausted," said Raut.

I fear the media, says Koshyari

Reports coming in from Nanded quoted Governor Koshyari saying he feared the media the most. "Duniya me sabse jyada dar media se lagta hai," he was reported as saying, albeit in jest to reporters at SRTM University campus. When the reporters asked him about the tour that prompted political activities and protests, Koshyari posed them a question, "Who is doing politics? Are you?"