A war of words broke out between the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday after Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was forced to deboard from a state government aircraft at Mumbai Airport as he planned to fly to Dehradun and then go to Mussoorie for an official function, officials said.
It all happened when Koshyari had boarded the aircraft, a 6-seater Cessna Citation XLS, he was informed that there was no permission for the flight, though the exact reasons are still unclear. He, then, booked a commercial flight to Dehradun.
"Today, when Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari reached Mumbai Airport and boarded a government plane. Governor was informed that permission for use of aircraft had not been received. Tickets were booked on a commercial aircraft immediately and he left for Dehradun," governor's Office said.
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."
