Uddhav Thackeray & Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari In A Letter War Over Reopening Of Places Of Worship In Maharashtra; ‘Shocked, Surprised’ Sharad Pawar Writes To PM Modi

An acrimonious exchange has erupted between Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray & Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over the reopening of places of worship, shut since the coronavirus lockdown in March. After the Governor, in a sarcasm-filled letter, questioned whether he had "turned secular", Uddhav Thackeray shot back that he did not need a Hindutva certificate from anyone, and also alluded to the Kangana Ranaut controversy. On October 12, the Governor wrote to Uddhav Thackeray "requesting him to announce forthwith" the reopening of places of worship with Covid precautions. He also reminded the Chief Minister that other cities had reopened such places in June and there had been no reports of a surge in COVID-19 cases. The Governor also called it "ironical" that bars, restaurants and beaches were allowed to open and "our Gods and Goddesses have been condemned to stay in the lockdown". The Chief Minister retorted that his Hindutva did not require a certificate from the Governor or anyone and that he would take a decision after careful consideration. "You said I am getting divine premonitions? Maybe you get them but I am not so big," he wrote back in Marathi. Thackeray reminded the Governor that the reopening of temples or delaying it "is not a question of secularism" and questioned whether Koshyari had forgotten his own constitutional oath. The Chief Minister also said just like "suddenly imposing lockdown" was wrong, lifting it suddenly was wrong. Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has reacted strongly to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray regarding the reopening of places of worship. The Shiv Sena ally wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was "shocked and surprised" at the language used by the Governor.