Team Clarion
MUMBAI — Maharashtra Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Abu Azmi has been targeted for his remarks defending Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir. Stating that Aurangzeb was not a cruel leader, Azmi’s comments drew an unwarranted criticism from political leaders across party lines.
During the interaction with the reporters in Mumbai at the commencement of the Maharashtra Assembly session, he was asked about Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent comparison of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Aurangzeb.
Responding to this, Azmi said, “Aurangzeb got several temples built. In Varanasi, he saved a Hindu girl child from a priest who had an evil eye on her.”
Expanding on his views, Azmi further asserted, “I don’t consider Aurangzeb a cruel ruler. During that era, power struggles were about politics, not about Hindus versus Muslims. Aurangzeb’s army had many Hindus, and similarly, Chhatrapati Shivaji’s army had several Muslims.”
He also said that during Aurangzeb’s reign, “our territorial boundaries extended up to Afghanistan. Today, he is being vilified by invoking Hindu-Muslim divisions.”
However, Azmi’s comments were met with strong opposition. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde condemned his remarks, calling them unacceptable and demanded an apology.
Aurangzeb was the emperor of the Mughal Empire from 1658 to 1707 and is considered the last of the great Mughals. During his reign, the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent. — With inputs from agencies
