Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 4 : A fresh controversy has erupted following Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi’s comments on Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde condemned the remarks and announced that a demand for Azmi’s suspension from the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly had been made.
“We have condemned his statement. His statement will cost him, and the people of Maharashtra will not forgive him… He will be suspended; we have put forth our demand to suspend him (from the House),” CM Shinde told reporters.
Earlier, Abu Azmi defended his comments, stating that his words had been misconstrued. He expressed his willingness to apologize if any sentiments were hurt. “My words have been twisted. I have said what historians and writers have claimed about Aurangzeb Rahmatullah Ali,” Azmi said. “I have not made any derogatory comment about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji Maharaj or any other great men – but still, if anyone has been hurt by my statement, then I take back my words,” Azmi added in a video on his X account.
Azmi also claimed that the issue was being politicized, criticizing the closure of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly budget session over the matter. “The issue is being made a political issue, and I think that closing the budget session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly because of this is causing harm to the people of Maharashtra,” he said.
In response to Azmi’s remarks, a zero FIR was registered against him at the Naupada Police Station in Thane, which was later transferred to the Marine Drive police station in Mumbai. The FIR was filed following a complaint by Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske. Azmi had earlier stated that Aurangzeb was a “good administrator,” sparking further outrage.
The BJP seized on the controversy, questioning members of the INDIA bloc over their attempts to “glorify” Aurangzeb.