Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray, Guv Koshyari engage in war of words over religious places reopening

After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the opposition party in the western state, demanded a reopening of religious places which are shut since March due to Covid-19, Governor Koshyari took a jibe at CM Thackeray over the latter's ideology.

In a letter to the CM, Koshyari has asked Thackeray whether he has turned "secular" as the religious places are still not allowed to reopen.

Koshyari wrote in the letter as quoted by the media, "You have been a strong votary of Hindutva. You had publicly espoused your devotion for Lord Rama by visiting Ayodhya after taking charge as Chief Minister. You had visited the Vitthal Rukmini Mandir in Pandharpur and performed the puja on Ashadhi Ekadashi."

"I wonder if you are receiving any divine premonition to keep postponing the reopening of places of worship time and again or have you turned 'secular' yourselves, a term you hated?"

Hitting back at the Governor, Thackeray said he is in no need of a certificate of Hindutva from Koshyari.

Thackeray's Shiv Sena had in 2019 dumped BJP even after winning the state elections to later join with ideologically-different Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress to form the government.