War of words between Maharashtra govt, BJP after Governor forced to deboard state plane

BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was the first to hit out at the government and called the incident a black chapter for the state. "It is an unfortunate incident. The governor is not just a person but a constitutional position. This incident is a black chapter for the state. It's a childish act, this is a very arrogant government. The governor's post is more important than who holds it. The government didn't give permission deliberately to disrespect him," Fadnavis said.

Breaking the silence on the issue, the chief minister's office said the Raj Bhavan was intimated about permission not being granted for aircraft to the governor yesterday itself.

"Raj Bhavan secretariat should have planned it in a better way. The state government has taken serious note of it and the chief minister has directed to fix responsibility of the concerned officer," the chief minister's office said.

On the other hand, the governor's office said the secretariat had written to the state government seeking permission for the use of the government aircraft by the governor on February 2. The office of the Chief Minister was also informed, it said.

Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut said the governor had no permission to use the aircraft, "It is not right to avail the Maharashtra government's aircraft for a personal programme outside the state. The governor had no permission to use the aircraft, so it was not right that he went there. The officer who did not apprise him of it should be probed."

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena condemned the incident, "Whatever happened is very bad. Maharashtra has never seen such a thing in the past. The governor is a constitutional post and must be respected. At the same time, the Governor should also respect the state. The chief minister and the governor are important posts and they must respect each other."