Maha: Oppn targets govt over `insult' of national icons

He had also been criticised over remarks about the social reformer couple Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.Had the government promptly taken note of offensive statements, national icons would not have been insulted, Pawar further said.The Nationalist Congress Party leader demanded action against those, including ruling party MLAs, who have allegedly insulted great personalities from the past.State Congress chief Nana Patole and Bhaskar Jadhav of the Shiv Sena UBT also raised the issue in the Assembly.

The opposition on Thursday slammed the Maharashtra government in the Legislative Assembly here over alleged insult of national icons by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Moving the 'Last Week' resolution, Ajit Pawar, Leader of Opposition, said Maharashtra is known for honouring national icons.

Koshyari faced flak recently when he called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj an icon of olden times. He had also been criticised over remarks about the social reformer couple Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.

Had the government promptly taken note of offensive statements, national icons would not have been insulted, Pawar further said.

The Nationalist Congress Party leader demanded action against those, including ruling party MLAs, who have allegedly insulted great personalities from the past.

State Congress chief Nana Patole and Bhaskar Jadhav of the Shiv Sena (UBT) also raised the issue in the Assembly. “When a person occupying the highest constitutional office in the state resorts to insulting icons, it is unacceptable to the people. There is anger in people's minds. What was the need (to make such statements). How many times are you going to insult our icons,” Pawar said, referring to Koshyari. While the opposition demanded that Koshyari be removed, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis did not even register protest against these statements, he claimed. Some ruling party MLAs have also made similar offensive remarks, Pawar said, calling it ''the height of shamelessness.”