Abu Azmi pays tribute to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj amid controversy

Last week, Abu Asim Azmi was suspended from the legislative assembly until the conclusion of the ongoing budget session on March 26 following his remarks praising Aurangzeb

Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Asim Azmi on Tuesday paid tribute to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj on his death anniversary, referring to him as a “valiant warrior”. The move comes amid ongoing controversy over Azmi’s recent remarks praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, which led to his suspension from the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly’s ongoing budget session. 

 

Sambhaji Maharaj, son of the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, played a crucial role in military campaigns against the Portuguese and the Mughals. He was eventually captured and executed in Sangameshwar.

 

In a post on X, Azmi wrote, “On the martyrdom day of the second Chhatrapati of Swarajya, the valiant warrior, Dharmveer Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, I pay my humble tribute.”

 

 

Azmi suspended for praising Aurangzeb

 

Last week, Azmi was suspended from the legislative assembly until the conclusion of the ongoing budget session on March 26 for praising Aurangzeb. The comments sparked a political uproar, with members of the ruling coalition asserting that glorifying Aurangzeb was an affront to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj — both revered figures in Maharashtra.

 

Despite retracting his statement, Azmi labelled his suspension as unjust. The Samajwadi Party leader had earlier stated that during Aurangzeb’s reign, “India’s border reached Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar). Our GDP accounted for 24 per cent (of the world GDP) and India was called a golden sparrow (during his regime).”

 

When questioned about the historical conflict between Aurangzeb and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Azmi had described it as a “political battle”. His remarks led to an uproar in both houses of the state legislature on March 4, with members of the ruling parties demanding his suspension and calling for treason charges against him.

 

CM supports calls for Aurangzeb’s tomb removal

 

Amid ongoing controversy around Aurangzeb, the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has supported calls to remove Mughal King Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on Saturday. However, he said that any action must follow the law because the site is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

 

“We all also want the same thing, but you need to do it within the framework of the law, because it is a protected site. The site was put under ASI’s (Archaeological Survey of India) protection during the Congress regime some years back,” Fadnavis said in Mumbai, on Saturday.

 

He had made this statement in response to BJP’s Satara MP Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who has demanded the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.

 

[With inputs from PTI]