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Aurangzeb Remarks Row: The members of the ruling Mahayuti on Tuesday demanded the suspension of SP MLA Azmi from the Maharashtra assembly.
SP MLA Abu Azmi | File Image/PTI
Aurangzeb Remarks Row: Amid the controversy around Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi’s controversial remarks on a Mughal ruler, the BJP on Tuesday accused the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) leadership of being “obsessed with Aurangzeb” and called the remarks “unacceptable.”
Azmi, SP’s Maharashtra president, found himself at the centre of a political row after his praise for Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. While commenting on historical portrayals in the Bollywood film Chhava, Azmi claimed that history had been misrepresented and that Aurangzeb was not a cruel ruler.
Asserting that the country would not tolerate any insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya demanded strict against Azmi.
“All leaders of the Samajwadi Party are obsessed with Aurangzeb. Such statements are unacceptable. The country cannot accept the insult of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Akhilesh Yadav should take immediate action against Abu Azmi,” Maurya said.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Police lodged a case against Azmi under several sections of the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) over his remarks on Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.
The case has been filed at Wagle Estate Police Station under BNS sections 299, 302, 356(1), and 356(2) following the complaint from Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske, who also asserted that Abu Azmi has “no right to stay in India.”
Abu Azmi’s controversial remark came weeks after the release of Chhava, a film starring Vicky Kaushal, depicting the life of 17th-century Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who was tortured and killed by Mughal forces.
Abu Azmi: The Outrage
SP MLA Azmi said that he doesn’t view 17th-century Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb as a cruel, tyrannical, or intolerant ruler, drawing massive criticism from BJP leaders.
“Wrong things are being said about Aurangzeb. He constructed a lot of temples for Hindus. He even got one of his soldiers trampled by elephants when he wanted to marry a Hindu priest’s daughter. As a mark of their gratitude, they constructed a mosque for Muslims. History has been distorted,” Abu Azmi said on Monday.
When a reporter asked if he thought Aurangzeb was cruel, the SP MLA from Maharashtra’s Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency replied, “No. I don’t think so. Absolutely not”.
Azmi further said that during Aurangzeb’s reign, India’s border reached Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar). “Our GDP accounted for 24 per cent (of the world GDP)) and India was called a golden sparrow (during his regime),” he claimed.
Reacting strongly to the statement, Shiv Sena chief and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken this matter seriously, and demanded that Azmi should be tried for treason.
“Eulogising the same Aurangzeb that tortured Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj for 40 days, plucked his nails, gouged out his eyes, skinned him, cut off his tongue is a massive sin. Abu Azmi should apologise for this,” a visibly angry Shinde said.
Meanwhile, members of the ruling Mahayuti on Tuesday demanded the suspension of SP MLA Azmi from the Maharashtra assembly. The uproar over the issue led to the House being adjourned twice.
- Location :
Maharashtra, India, India
