Samajwadi Party (SP) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Mumbai, Abu Asim Azmi, who was suspended from the Maharashtra Assembly for his remarks eulogising Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, on Tuesday paid tribute to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj on his death anniversary and praised him as a valiant warrior.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, led military campaigns against the Portuguese and Mughals, ultimately being captured and killed in Sangameshwar.
Azmi posted on X, saying, “On the martyrdom day of the second Chhatrapati of Swarajya, the valiant warrior, Dharmveer Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, I pay my humble tribute.”
Last week, the SP legislator was suspended from the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly until the ongoing budget session concludes on March 26, following his comments praising Aurangzeb.
Members of the treasury benches in the Assembly argued that praising Aurangzeb insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, both highly revered figures in Maharashtra.
Azmi, claiming injustice, later stated that the action against him had been taken despite him retracting his statement.
The legislator from Mumbai had previously said that during Aurangzeb`s reign, India`s borders 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),” the MLA claimed.
When asked about the conflict between Aurangzeb and Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Azmi referred to it as a political battle.
His remarks created a stir in both houses of the state legislature on March 4, with members of the ruling side calling for his suspension and the filing of treason charges.
Azmi had written to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, requesting the revocation of his suspension. He asserted that he was unfairly targeted by the media, which he accused of “misrepresenting” his statement on Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.
The MLA maintained that he was not at fault in the matter and that his comments were taken out of context. In his letter to the Speaker, he stated, “The media tried to malign me by misrepresenting my statement. I humbly request that my suspension be withdrawn as I am not at fault in this matter.”
(With PTI inputs)
