SP MLA Abu Azmi faces backlash in Maharashtra legislature over Aurangzeb remarks
The issue of Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi’s remarks eulogising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb rocked both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature on Tuesday, with the ruling Mahayuti members demanding his suspension and charging him with treason. Both the Houses were adjourned over the issue.
The development came on a day when the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi planned to corner the government over NCP minister Dhananjay Munde`s resignation. As proceedings of both the Houses began, the Mahayuti members started raising slogans seeking action against Azmi, who is SP’s state president. They claimed Azmi was a descendent of Aurangzeb, who tortured Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and brutally killed him.
Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde led the attack on Azmi both in the Legislative Council and Assembly. In the council, the former CM said Azmi also made objectionable statements in the past against Shivaji Maharaj. “Abu Azmi is purposely insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and [his son] Chhatrapati Sambhaji. Sambhaji’s Maharaj`s bravery and Aurangzeb`s cruelty will give goosebumps to people,” Shinde said in the Council.
Aurangzeb tortured Sambhaji Maharaj in an inhuman way. Azmi referred to Aurangzeb as an able administrator who built temples but he razed Kashi Vishveshwar temple, Shinde said. The Mughal emperor not only killed Hindus but also people from other religions, he said. “Aurangzeb lost even after he won, but Sambhaji, through his bravery, won even after his sacrifice. He [Aurangzeb] is a demon. Even a true Muslim will not forgive the progeny of traitors. It is wrong to eulogise Aurangzeb,” he added.
The deputy CM also demanded that Azmi’s membership of the Assembly be revoked. In the Assembly, Shinde dubbed Azmi a “traitor” and said he had no right to sit in the House. He asked SP MLA Raees Shaikh to watch the recent Hindi film Chhaava, which has depicted the bravery and sacrifice of Sambhaji Maharaj. “See the torture Sambhaji Maharaj endured for 40 days. Aurangzeb asked him to change his religion,” he said.
Sambhaji Maharaj won 70 battles in nine years, he said, adding that Aurangzeb demolished temples and killed his own family. Industries Minister Uday Samant of the Shiv Sena reiterated the demand that Azmi be suspended from the House and be booked for treason, while BJP’s Atul Bhatkhalkar made similar demands. “We cannot tolerate praise of a person who harassed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and tortured Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj,” Samant said.
Sudhir Mungantiwar (BJP) demanded that Aurangzeb’s grave (in Maharashtra) be demolished. Amid the uproar, opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) member Bhaskar Jadhav, who tried to speak on an adjournment notice submitted by him in the Assembly, termed developments in the House “drama”. The Assembly proceedings were adjourned three times after din over the issue, and later adjourned for the day.
Controversial comments
Azmi had 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],” claimed the MLA from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency in Mumbai.
Asked about the fight between Aurangzeb and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Azmi had termed it a political battle. In the Council, Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve said not only Azmi but those insulting national icons, including Chhatrapati Shivaji, should be punished, and referred to statements of actor Rahul Solapurkar and former journalist Prashant Koratkar.
Council Chairman Ram Shinde said the government should take strict action against whoever has spoken against national icons and Chhatrapati Shivaji. Following din over Azmi’s comments, the Upper House was briefly adjourned twice and then for the day.
Police action
Meanwhile, the Mumbai police began a probe into a case registered against Azmi over his remarks. An FIR was registered on Monday against Azmi by the Thane police on a complaint of Lok Sabha member Naresh Mhaske for allegedly attempting to hurt religious feelings. The Thane police subsequently transferred the FIR to Mumbai, where a fresh case was registered at Marine Drive police station on Tuesday. The Mumbai police booked Azmi under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting religion or religious beliefs), 302 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 356(1) & 356(2) (defamation).
Azmi’s remarks an insult to Indian society: BJP
The BJP on Tuesday slammed the Congress and other Opposition parties over Azmi’s remarks about Aurangzeb, with the saffron party’s national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi terming Azmi’s remarks an “insult to the entire Indian society”. He said that the Opposition INDIA bloc constituents are engaged in a “cut-throat competition” with each other to prove themselves anti-Hindu for minority votes.
Sudhanshu Trivedi, national spokesperson, BJP. PIC/X/@Sudhanshu Trivedi
He also called the comments a “cruel joke” on the traditions established by Chhatrapati Shivaji and the sacrifices made by Chhatrapati Sambhaji. “This unwarranted and unwanted glorification of Aurangzeb, who was one of the most cruel and tyrannical rulers in history, is an insult to Indian society. This is an old tendency of the Congress and ‘INDI Alliance’. Earlier their Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi had visited Aurangzeb’s tomb and prayed,” Trivedi told reporters when asked for comment.
This makes it clear that they can “cross any limit and stoop down to any level” to carry forward their campaign to eradicate Sanatan Dharma, he alleged. “This also shows how much they hate Indian traditions and culture,” Trivedi, also a Rajya Sabha MP, said.
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