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BJP attacks Uddhav govt over 'denial' of state plane for Maharashtra governor

The governor later took a private flight to travel to Dehradun

koshyari uddhav amey (File) Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari (left) and CM Uddhav Thackeray | Amey Mansabdar

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was scheduled to travel by a state government plane to Dehradun in Uttarakhand on Thursday, but permission was not granted for the flight, sources told PTI.

The governor later took a private flight to travel to Dehradun, they said.

Koshyari was scheduled to travel to Mussoorie to attend a function of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). His office had initiated necessary permissions to use a state aircraft from the state government, but apparently clearance did not come through. So after sitting in the plane for a few minutes, Koshyari had to deboard. This is seen as yet another clash between the governor and the Uddhav Thackeray government.

"Normally, governors do not wait for the permission to come. He sat in the aircraft. The pilot then said the permission was not given yet," PTI reported. The governor's office later booked a private aircraft and he left for Dehradun around 12.15pm.

Former BJP chief minister Devendra Fadnavis questioned the need for Koshyari to deboard. Fadnavis asked “what sort of ego is this?”

Senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) government should apologise for "insulting" the governor. If the state government has purposely denied permission, it is a "blot" on the state's reputation, he said.

“If this embarrassment is not intentional, then the state government should suspend the official who failed to issue the flying permission in time to the governor," he said. The government should apologise and avoid further escalation of the issue, Mungantiwar said.

When asked about the incident, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar told reporters that he had no clue and will be able to comment after gathering information.

Interestingly, the Uddhav Thackeray government had been complaining that the governor was not acting on its recommendations to appoint nominated members of the Legislative Council.

State Congress chief Nana Patole on Wednesday said the MVA government decided to move court over the 'delay' by the governor in the appointment of nominated members to the Legislative Council.

The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition government had recommended 12 names for appointment to the Council under the governor's quota to Koshyari in the first week of November last year.

Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said it was the governor's prerogative to approve or reject names recommended by the state government.

(With inputs from Dnyanesh Jathar, PTI)

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