Priyanka Tiwari
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Aurangzeb Controversy: Praise for the Mughal emperor got Samajwadi party leader Abu Azmi into trouble. As expected, this statement has renewed political discourse regarding Aurangzeb. The Mahayuti government is challenging Azmi’s statement. An FIR has also been filed against him. PA Arihant Abu Azmi's complaint has been taken seriously and Shiv Sena’s spokesperson Kiran Pawaskar has lodged a complaint against him in Mumbai. Additionally, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske has also filed an FIR against the SP leader.
What did Abu Azmi say?
Interestingly, while talking about the Chhava movie, Abu Azmi stated that Aurangzeb was a king who possessed a sense of justice. It was during his rule that the country was known as “the golden bird”. According to me, Aurangzeb was not a cruel ruler. There was a fight for rule not religion during Aurangzeb’s rule. He also stated that there was no war between Muslims and Hindus. Many Hindu temples were built during Aurangzeb's reign. He indicated that ‘Aurangzeb’ is an incorrect depiction of the man’s history. This is not the first instance of Abu Azmi praising Aurangzeb, during the year 2023 he had done the same as well.
#WATCH | Mumbai | On his statement regarding Aurangzeb, Samajwadi Party leader and Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi says, "The kings back then used to have struggle for power and property, but it was nothing religious. He (Aurangzeb) ruled for 52 years, and if he was really converting… pic.twitter.com/ZViKowZH2J
— ANI (@ANI) March 4, 2025
There should be a charge of treason: Shinde
Following Azmi’s remarks, the politics in and around the state has flared up. The Deputy Chief Minister of Eknath Shinde’s has mentioned that a sedition case should be lodged against Azmi for his remarks. Shinde mentioned that there was a case of sedition against Abu Azmi who had lauded the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb for enslaving Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, a Maratha ruler. After Shinde’s declaration, an FIR was registered against Azmi and Shinde’s political stronghold of Thane on the request of Mhaske for trying to damage religious feelings of the people.
What did Abu Azmi say after the FIR?
In light of the allegations levelled against him, Abu Azmi stated that if Aurangzeb had indeed restricted temples and encouraged the conversion of Hindus, then there was ample opportunities for him to convert many Hindus during his rule of 52 years. He reasoned that many other Indians would have been willing to convert, had he annihilated temples. If he wanted to target Hinduism, he would have had to destroy temples and AoM Hindu’s 34 percent of thier religion would not have supported him, not to mention his upper caste advisors. Relax, there is no need to touch this from a Hindu Muslim perspective. This nation is bound by the Constitution. I would like to clarify, I have never cast a single word against my Hindu brothers.
Who was Aurangzeb?
Aurangzeb was the longest reigning Mughal Emperor and the sixth ruler of the Mughal Empire. His mother was a queen, Mumtaz Mahal, and his father Shah Jahan was a famous Mughal Emperor. He had to imprison his father to sit on the throne. His rule is noted for the expansion of the Mughal empire and his religious persecution from 1658 to 1707 in South India.
