Maharashtra Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi.
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution by voice vote suspending Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi till the conclusion of the ongoing Budget Session. The decision came in response to his remarks glorifying Aurangzeb and allegedly defaming Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, which the House deemed an insult to its honour.
The resolution was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil and was met with strong reactions from the ruling MahaYuti alliance as well as the Opposition. BJP legislator Sudhir Mungantiwar argued that the suspension should extend beyond the Budget Session and last for Azmi’s entire term. Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar also condemned the glorification of Aurangzeb, asserting that the Opposition would not tolerate any insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and demanding strict action against those who do so.
Speaker Rahul Narwekar put the resolution to a voice vote, and it was passed amid chants of “Shivaji Maharaj ki Jai” from members of the House.
The suspension came a day after Azmi retracted his controversial statement, in which he suggested that Aurangzeb should not be seen as a cruel ruler but rather as an administrator. The controversy had led to the adjournment of both Houses of the state legislature on Tuesday after members from the Treasury Benches strongly objected to his remarks.
On Monday, speaking to the media at Vidhan Bhavan, Azmi had claimed that Aurangzeb was a great administrator and that India was known as the "golden bird" during his rule. He cited that India’s GDP stood at 24 per cent under Aurangzeb, which he argued was a factor that attracted the British to the country. He further stated that history had been misrepresented and claimed that Aurangzeb had built many temples. According to him, the conflict between Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Aurangzeb was not a religious battle between Hindus and Muslims but rather a struggle for state administration.
His statements triggered a strong backlash from MahaYuti legislators, with Shiv Sena leaders filing cases against him at Marine Drive and Thane police stations, demanding action under sedition laws.
With IANS inputs
