SP leader Abu Azmi faces backlash for calling Aurangzeb 'not a cruel ruler'

Azmi made the statement while speaking to reporters in Mumbai at the commencement of the Maharashtra Assembly session.

During the interaction, 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. He had the priest trampled by elephants."

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 claimed 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.

Shinde stated, "He must apologise for this because Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was a patriot and a true nationalist. Aurangzeb was responsible for the brutal 40-day torture and execution of Sambhaji Maharaj. Glorifying Aurangzeb's rule is a serious offense, and for this, Abu Azmi must apologise. By speaking against a patriot, he has positioned himself as anti-national."

Maharashtra NCP leader and former MP Anand Paranjpe refuted Azmi's claims. He told IANS, "Aurangzeb divided Hindus and Muslims, destroyed many temples, and considering the brutal execution of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, he was indeed a cruel ruler."

Aurangzeb was the emperor of the Mughal Empire from 1658 to 1707.