Shiv Sena rakes up Governor Koshyari’s RSS affiliation, questions stand on favouring university exams amid COVID-19 crisis

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari is the chancellor of universities in Maharashtra. He has asked CM Uddhav to resolve the issue of conducting the final year university exams.

The Shiv Sena on Monday slammed Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari for favouring final year university exams to be conducted even as the deadly coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in the state. In an editorial published in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ on Monday, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party raked up Koshyari’s past affiliation with the RSS to question his intention behind the decision.

The party said when the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has already opposed holding exams in Gujarat and Goa in the current scenario, why is Koshyari’s demand in contrast to it. It added that the health of students cannot be put at risk amid the COVID-19 crisis.

“The RSS-backed students’ wing ABVP has already opposed holding exams in the current period in Gujarat and Goa. Then, why is Koshyari’s s demand in stark contrast with ABVP?” the party said.

“Is it because the RSS-backed BJP is not in power in Maharashtra?” the Shiv Sena which aligned with the Congress and NCP to form the government in Maharashtra last November said.

Koshyari is the chancellor of universities in Maharashtra. The Sena’s barb comes a week after he wrote a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, asking to resolve the issue of conducting the final year university exams in the state. He said a delay in exams was not in the interest of students and “not conducting the final year examinations by universities amounts to breach of the UGC guidelines”.

The Sena said the Governor’s concerns are genuine and examinations are important for the future of 10 lakh students, but it cannot be held by jeopardising their health.

“When almost all institutions are stretched to limits, how can the governor expect universities to overcome the challenges (of COVID-19) and hold exams?” it asked.

It underlined that major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, where headquarters of prominent universities are located, are still under the grip of coronavirus and there is no point in pushing the demand.

This is not the first time when Shiv Sena has raked up Koshyari’s RSS affiliation to criticise him. Earlier, the party had vociferously raised his Sangh links over the delay in his decision on the Maharashtra Cabinet’s recommendation in April to nominate Uddhav Thackeray as member of the state Legislative Council from the Governor’s quota.