Shiv Sena seeking Maharashtra Governor's recall after "turned secular" row

Koshyari, an RSS veteran, on Monday wrote an unusual letter to Thackeray. He batted for re-opening places of worship with appropriate guidelines and reminded Thackeray of his Hindu vote-base.

"You had publicly espoused your devotion for Lord Rama by visiting Ayodhya after taking charge as Chief Minister," he said.

Koshyari added while bars have re-opened, deities are locked down and that is "most unfortunate."

The Sena boss hit back with a snarky letter on Tuesday. "What you mentioned about my Hindutva in the letter is absolutely correct. But my Hindutva does not need your certificate," he wrote.

Thackeray also said it was perhaps the Governor who was getting divine premonitions as he "is not that big."

"Is reopening temples not secular and keeping them closed secular?" Thackeray asked.

The back-and-forth statements between Koshyari and Thackeray found its origins in the latter's Sunday address, where he said, "Navratri, Diwali and other religious festivals are coming up. We are slowly opening our doors for prosperity and good health but not for the coronavirus."

The government is against re-opening religious places, fearing a rise in coronavirus cases. Maharashtra is India's worst-affected state with 1,543,837 cases.

To note, on three occasions, the Maharashtra state government allowed limited religious gatherings.

On orders of the Bombay High Court, it let the Parsi community pray for the dead at Doongerwadi; permitted nine-day prayers at three Jain temples on Supreme Court's directions, and also allowed a tazia procession of five participants on Muharram.

In fact, Koshyari also told Thackeray about other states re-opening religious places.

As the row raged on, veteran politician and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the letter unsettled him.

Asserting that though he respects that Koshyari can have differing opinions, he added, "I am shocked and surprised to see the letter of the Governor released to the media and the kind of language used in the letter."

While Koshyari was questioned, opposition BJP trained guns at Thackeray. Former CM Devendra Fadnavis said that the CM didn't use appropriate language in the letter.

"Governor is a constitutional position. It has certain decorum. Any communication has to maintain that dignity," Fadnavis said in Jalgaon.

The saffron party also launched a state-wide agitation demanding that religious places are re-opened.