Left parties demand sacking of Maha governor over 'insult' to Constitution in his letter to CM
New Delhi: The Left parties on Wednesday demanded the sacking of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for "insulting" and "violating" the Constitution in his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for reopening of places of worship.
Koshyari and Thackeray were engaged in a bitter war of words on Tuesday after the former pushed for reopening of the places of worship in the state, closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and asked the Shiv Sena chief whether he had suddenly turned secular.
Thackeray responded to Koshyari's letter saying he will consider the request but asserted that he does not need the governor's certificate for "my Hindutva".
"The CPI strongly objects to the remark made by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over secularism. The party feels it is a serious violation of the oath of office he had undertaken while assuming the office. Such a remark is also an insult to our Constitution, the Preamble of which specifically upholds India's commitment to secularism.
"The party urges the President of India, under whose pleasure he is the Governor, to dismiss him as he has proved to be not fit for the post. We express serious concern over the conduct of the governors appointed by the President in states which are under non-BJP elected governments. The party also appeals to the President to ensure that the heads of constitutional bodies pay their undiluted respect to our Constitution," the Communist Party of India (CPI) said in a statement.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury echoed similar sentiments and said Koshyari should be sacked.
"President of India must recall this Governor appointed by him. Having assumed this high Constitutional office upon oath of affirmation on the Indian Constitution he writes to the democratically elected CM brazenly violating it. This is unacceptable," he said in a tweet.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
