Opposition Slams Padma Bhushan Award To Former Governor Koshyari
The Union government on Sunday announced the Padma Bhushan award for former Uttarakhand chief minister Koshyari, who served as Maharashtra governor from September 2019 to February 2023.
Mumbai: Centre’s decision to confer the Padma Bhushan on former Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has created a political storm in Maharashtra as the opposition parties strongly condemned the move accusing the veteran leader of murdering ‘democracy and the Constitution’ in the state by toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government.
The Union government on Sunday announced the Padma Bhushan award for former Uttarakhand chief minister Koshyari, who served as Maharashtra governor from September 2019 to February 2023. However, his stint as governor was marked by several controversies.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said even the Mahayuti government, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, should condemn the decision to award Padma Bhushan to Koshyari, who had insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and reformers Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule.
“He (Koshyari) murdered democracy and the Constitution and toppled the Uddhav Thackeray-led government to favour the BJP and bring the saffron party into power,” said Raut.
Calling Koshyari ‘a perverted person,’ Maharashtra Congress chief Harshawardhan Sapkal said that the former violated the constitution. A person who insulted Shivaji Maharaj and Phule has been given the Padma Bhushan award, he added.
NCP (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule said that she was ‘sad’ about the Centre’s decision. “Being a Governor is a big deal. But when he was here, the comments he made for Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule were disliked by all of us. We did not like it because they are respectful figures for us. I still condemn the words he used. Such a huge honour for him is sad,” she said.
Koshyari’s tenure as Maharashtra governor saw several controversies. In November 2019, he presided over a shock early morning swearing-in ceremony, where he hurriedly administered the oath of office to Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister amid the BJP-Sena tussle. Their government lasted only three days.
When Uddhav Thackeray was serving as chief minister, he criticised Koshyari for not filling 12 vacant seats in the state Vidhan Parishad despite the state government’s recommendation.
Koshyari also drew strong criticism for a comment terming Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as ‘an icon of the olden times,’ a remark that sparked widespread backlash.
He also allegedly mocked 19th-century social reformers Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule for “getting married at a young age.” “Savitribai was married off at the age of 10 and her husband was 13-year-old at that time. Now, think about it, what must girls and boys be thinking after getting married,” he said.
Meanwhile, CM Fadnavis congratulated Koshyari being conferred with the prestigious award. “Warmest congratulations to Hon. Bhagat Singh Koshyari ji, former governor of Maharashtra, on being honoured with the Padma Bhushan Award for 2026. His illustrious journey in public life and his steadfast contributions to governance and nation-building stand as a source of inspiration for generations,” he wrote in a post on X.
